Jan Albright

Written Memory

May 16, 2012

The flood came about supper time, earlier than in town. My husband was out of town, the oldest daughter was working at Daisy Dell. There was a storm in the aft. and I had to get 2 kids from Sioux Park swiming pool. It started to rain really hard and I told Billy to got to the barn and let the cows and her calf out and to get the hay bales in the rafters so they would not get wet. The girls went to get the rabbits out of the water and they put the chicks in an old laundry hamper (ones w/holes in the bottom). The water was rising really fast and we could not get the stanchions open to let the cows out and then they kept coming back in. The 2 youngest kids were in the house but the rest were out in the water. I don't know how long it was but the water was getting quite high and the side board on the barn were breaking and falling down from the water. It was very dark by then and loud.I told the girls to go inside. I didn't know what had happened to Billy and Mike. The barn was about gone and I was holding onto one of the main support poles. the water was about up to my waist. I yelled for the kids to call the Smith's( neighbors on high ground) to come and help. I cannot swim. Mr Smith came and threw me a rope to tie around my waist. When I let go of the pole, the entire barn collapsed and floated away. Mr. Smith pulled me to safety. Now, this was not very far from the house, it was that close. The barn roof was found in Canyon Lake. Billy was swept away and his body found some days later in town. The water came down a hill by the house and eroded ground all the way to Cleghorn Canyon. Billy helped Mike grap a tree across Schroeder Road and that was where the former sheriff Glenn Best and National Guard people found him later in the night. There are still high water marks on a tree in the yard showing how high the water was. I feel God has a place for me here on earth, or I would not be here today. Chuck and I had 8 children and they are all grown today, but remember the flood so clearly. The youngest were 7 and the oldest 14 at the time. There is never any water in the area where the water came from that night.