The Christmas Flood of ‘64
Twenty-three years ago, a blizzard followed by warm weather and rain swept across the Northwest leaving five people dead in the region, roads and bridges devastated.
It became known as the Christmas Flood of 1964.
Files of The Dalles Chronicle reveal some of the numbers.
It may have begun Dec. 15, Tuesday, when there was a light snow mixed with rain, but with little hint of anything bad to come.
Next morning, the temperatures plunged to 6 degrees in The Dalles, 2 at Rufus, 15 schools in Sherman and Klickitat County closed.
... By dawn on Thursday, Dec. 17, the temperature range in The Dalles got itself fixed between 0 and 11 degrees.
And there was more light snow.
At noon on Friday, the blizzard moved up the Gorge.
Snow closed the road. Bus service was suspended. The trains got stalled.
Some 70 to 80 people were taken off the highway and into the Bonneville Dam area for safety.
Saturday morning, Dec. 19, bus service returned between The Dalles and Portland, but it was routed over the Bridge of the Gods ...
And the temperature hovered below freezing, 10-23 degrees.
Then it hit. On Monday, there was 11.8 inches of snow which had accumulated, schools were closed, but the temperature was rising. It got up to 31 degrees.
The thaw came Tuesday ... Before the day ended, Bakeover Creek and the Deschutes River were flooding in Maupin. Tygh Valley was experiencing flooding. At some points along I-80 (now I-84 in the Gorge) water was two feet deep.
The new bridge over the John Day River lost its center section and a minister from Montana who had stopped on the bridge was lost in the water when the bridge fell. Later a car went through the gap in the bridge and two men died.
Water cut off access between The Dalles and Sherman County.
By Christmas Eve, the weather had calmed and everyone was digging out. The National Guard came to Rufus to provide emergency service.
At the time, it was possible to get from The Dalles to Rufus by taking the highway to Biggs, thence into Washington to Roosevelt and taking the ferry to Arlington and the highway back to Rufus.
By Saturday, the road across Sherar’s Bridge ... was opened ...
The precipitation for the week was: Monday, (Dec 21) 0.96, Tuesday 2.0, Wednesday 1.41, Thursday 1.42, Friday 0.48, Saturday 0.39.
— The Dalles Daily Chronicle, Dec. 27, 1984
Merry Christmas to one and all
– and may this Christmas time be one of joyous happiness with families and loved ones. We here at The Enterprise extend our sincere seasons greetings, hoping that all of you may have a holiday season to be long remembered.
Harkening back to the times of by-gone years, we hope the troubles of this winter season has spared all of you in great degree.
We cannot but think that even our particular area has been treated easily when we but read the happenings every day around us.
So – to friends everywhere, may the blessings this Christmas season come to your household.
The Enterprise Staff, Bob, Yvette, Catherine, Nancy, Dan and Ruth.
— White Salmon Enterprise, Dec. 24, 1964
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