Selected 1861-62 text from Attachment C: History of California Flooding
from California’s Flood Future: Recommendations for Managing the State’s Flood Risk
PUBLIC REVIEW DRAFT April 2013

Statewide Flood Management Planning Program - Flood Safe California

(c) 2013, Mike Barkley



C-28 - 3.1.3 Historic Floods [Norte Coast Hydrologic Region]
1861-62: The "Great Flood." Devastating floods recorded throughout California in the winter of 1861-62 came to be known to historians as the "Great Flood." Flooding in the North Coast Hydrologic Region destroyed Fort Turwar on the Klamath River and washed away bridges in Trinity and Shasta counties.

C-43 - 3.2.3 Historic Floods [San Francisco Bay Hydrologic Region]
1861-62: The "Great Flood." A devastating flood inundated large areas of the West Coast, including places in the San Francisco Bay Hydrologic Region. In the region, the January 1862 rainfall at San Francisco was five times average. For a week, there was no tidal inflow at the Golden Gate, only an outflow of river water 18 to 20 feet deep, floating on the salt water. Property was destroyed at many locations. At Moraga, whole meadows washed out to bare sandstone. Alameda Creek washed away a mill in Niles Canyon and a house in Sunol Valley. San Ramon Valley was a sheet of water from hill to hill.

C-58 - 3.3.3 Historic Floods [Central Coast Hydrologic Region]
1861-62: The "Great Flood." Devastating floods recorded in the Central Coast region in the winter of 1861-62 came to be known to historians as the "Great Flood." In Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties, the narrow coastal plains and creeks were flooded. Up to 4 feet of floodwater was sustained in downtown San Luis Obispo, and widespread flooding damaged residential, commercial, and agricultural land, property, and infrastructure.

C-76 - 3.4.3 Historic Floods [South Coast Hydrologic Region]
1861-62: The "Great Flood." As a result of the flooding in 1861-62, the mouth of the Los Angeles River shifted from Venice to Wilmington. The plains of Los Angeles County were extensively flooded and formed a large lake system where the stronger currents cut new channels to the sea. The Los Angeles, San Gabriel, and Santa Ana rivers converged, forming a solid expanse of water from Signal Hill to Huntington Beach. Runoff transformed much of what is now Orange County into an inland sea that was 4 feet deep in places 4 miles from the Santa Ana River.

C-95 - 3.5.3 Historic Floods [Sacramento River Hydrologic Region]
1861-62: The "Great Flood." This flood in the winter of 1861-62 was remarkable for the exceptionally high stages reached on most streams, repeated large floods, and prolonged and widespread inundation in the Sacramento River basin. Lower elevations experienced heavy rain, and upper elevations saw continuous snowfall. The regional event was only part of a deluge that encompassed all of California, much of Oregon, and parts of Utah and Nevada (Utah Territory), Arizona (New Mexico Territory), and Idaho (Washington Territory). Sacramento was a focus of the damage, as early-day levees failed.

C-113 - 3.6.3 Historic Floods [San Joaquin River Hydrologic Region]
1861-62: The "Great Flood." The "Great Flood" of 1861-1862 was remarkable for the exceptionally high stages reached on most streams, repeated large floods, and prolonged and widespread inundation in the San Joaquin Valley.

C-130 - 3.7.3 Historic Floods [Tulare Lake Hydrologic Region]
1861-62: The "Great Flood." The 1862 flood caused channel changes in all four principal rivers. Cole Slough began to form, becoming a principal northward distributary of the Kings River. A new distributary, the St. John’s River, was created for the Kaweah River. The Tule River eroded a new main channel, now called Porter Slough. The Kern River eroded a new channel to the northwest, bypassing Kern Lake and perhaps Buena Vista Lake. The Kings River washed away the entire town of Scottsburg, which was reestablished on higher ground. A 30-foot wave on Mill Flat Creek created by washout of a debris plug destroyed two sawmills. Mill Creek produced shallow flooding in downtown Visalia three times, contaminating wells, destroying four bridges, and destroying more than 40 adobe houses and a majority of mercantile buildings, which were mostly adobe. No brick or wood buildings came down. The Kern River flows caused major damage in the mining district, destroying nearly all bridges, dams, and mills. The Kern River, exiting from its canyon, formed a sheet of water 22 miles wide from the north edge of present-day Bakersfield to near Mettler. There was a major debris slide on the South Fork Kern River.

C-152 - 3.9.3 Historic Floods [South Lahontan Hydrologic Region]
1861-62: The "Great Flood." The "Great Flood" of December 1861-January 1862 impacted the South Lahontan region along with the rest of the area. In the Owens Valley area, snow and flooding depleted the forage, reducing the game population important to local tribes. Lakes formed in the Mojave Desert, and the Mojave River rose 20 feet above normal in Oro Grande.

C-163 - 3.10.3 Historic Floods [Colorado River Hydrologic Region.]
1861-62: The "Great Flood." The Colorado River overflowed into the Alamo and New rivers and created a lake 60 miles long and 30 miles wide in the Salton Sink. Ephemeral lakes formed in the Mojave Desert.

C-173 - REFERENCES
Burt, Christopher C. 2011. California’s Superstorm: The USGS ARkstorm Report and the Great Flood of 1862. Available at http://www.wunderground.com/blog/weatherhistorian/comment.html?entrynum=13. Accessed September 2012.

C-180
New York Times. 1862. "The Great Flood in California." January 21. Available at http://www.nytimes.com/1862/01/21/news/the-great-flood-in-californiagreat-destruction-of-property-damage-10000000.html?scp=10&sq=Great+Flood+in+California&st=p. Accessed September 2012.

Newbold, John D. 1991. "The Great California Flood of 1861-1862." Published in San Joaquin Historian. Volume 5, Number 4 (New Series). Available at http://www.sanjoaquinhistory.org/documents/HistorianNS5-4.pdf. Accessed July 2012.

Null, Jan, and Joelle Hulbert. 2007. "California Washed Away: The Great Flood of 1862." Published in Weatherwise. January/February. Available at http://skagitriverhistory.com/PDFs/wwjan07.pdf. Accessed September 2012.

Taylor, W.L., and R.W. Taylor. 2007. The Great California Flood of 1862. Prepared for The Redlands Fortnightly Club. Available at http://www.redlandsfortnightly.org/papers/Taylor06.htm. Accessed August 2012.

C-C-3 - APPENDIX C: DETAILED HISTORIC FLOOD INFORMATION

C.1 North Coast Hydrologic Region
The "Great Flood." Devastating floods recorded on the North Coast in the winter of 1861-62 were part of an event known as the Great Flood. Flooding in the region destroyed Fort Turwar on the Klamath River and washed away bridges in Trinity and Shasta counties.

C-C-7 - C.2 San Francisco Bay Hydrologic Region
The "Great Flood." The Great Flood of 1861-62 inundated large areas of the West Coast, including the San Francisco Bay Hydrologic Region. The January 1862 rainfall at San Francisco was five times average. For a week, there was no tidal inflow at the Golden Gate, only an outflow of river water 18 to 20 feet deep, floating on the salt water. There was property destruction at many locations. At Moraga, whole meadows washed out to bare sandstone. The oyster beds at Oakland were severely damaged by sediment. Alameda Creek washed away a mill in Niles Canyon and a house in Sunol Valley. San Ramon Valley was flooded from hill to hill. Fairfield and Suisun City were flooded as well.

C-C-10 - C.3 Central Coast Hydrologic Region
The "Great Flood." The region was included in the Great Flood of 1861-62. In Santa Barbara County, the narrow coastal plains were flooded. In San Luis Obispo County, many creeks overflowed, including Villa, Cayucos, Morro, Little Morro, Chorro, Los Osos, and San Simeon creeks. Up to 4 feet of floodwater was sustained in downtown San Luis Obispo, and widespread flooding damaged 142 homes, 110 businesses, 16 bridges, 1,800 acres of agricultural land, and many schools, parks, and other public properties, as well as utility and rail lines.

C-C-14 - C.4 South Coast Hydrologic Region
The "Great Flood." Heavy flooding during the Great Flood of 1861-62 inundated large areas of the West Coast. The coastal plains at Santa Barbara were flooded. Ventura was abandoned because of flooding. The mouth of the Los Angeles River shifted from Venice to Wilmington. The plains of Los Angeles County were flooded and formed a large lake system where the stronger currents cut new channels to the sea. Thousands of cattle drowned, and orchards and vineyards along the river were swept to the ocean. The Los Angeles, San Gabriel, and Santa Ana rivers converged, forming a solid expanse of water from Signal Hill to Huntington Beach. Runoff transformed much of what is now Orange County into an inland sea that was 4 feet deep in places 4 miles from the Santa Ana River. Twenty people died in Orange County. Agua Mansa, which was near modern Riverside and until 1851 was the largest settlement between New Mexico and Los Angeles, was obliterated except for the church and one house. In San Diego County, Mission Valley was inundated, and Old Town San Diego was evacuated. The San Diego River cut a new channel into the bay. High tides and extreme runoff backed the river into its floodplain and into the city. This flood event was unusual in that it occurred during the severe drought of 1856-64, and floodwaters did not recede for 20 days in some areas.

C-C-21 - C.5 Sacramento River Hydrologic Region
The "Great Flood." The Great Flood of 1861-62 was remarkable for the exceptionally high stages reached on most streams, repeated large floods, and prolonged and widespread inundation in the Sacramento River basin. Lower elevations experienced heavy rain, while upper elevations saw continuous snowfall. The regional event was only part of a deluge that encompassed all of California, much of Oregon, and parts of Utah and Nevada (Utah Territory), Arizona (New Mexico Territory), and Idaho (Washington Territory). The floods in the region came in four distinct periods beginning on December 9, 1861, and ending January 17, 1862.

C-C-22 - In summer 1853, the citizens filled in the lower streets with 4 feet of earth and built 7 miles of levees that were 4 to 20 feet high on the Sacramento and American rivers. These were breached in the Great Flood of 1861-62.

C-C-28 - C.6 San Joaquin River Hydrologic Region
The "Great Flood." The Great Flood of 1861-62 was remarkable for the exceptionally high stages reached on most streams, repeated large floods, and prolonged and widespread inundation in the San Joaquin Valley. Lower elevations experienced heavy rain, while upper elevations saw record snowfall. The regional event was only part of a deluge that encompassed all of California, much of Oregon, and parts of Utah and Nevada (Utah Territory), Arizona (New Mexico Territory), and Idaho (Washington Territory).

Captain William Brewer, a Yale University geologist, described the Central Valley as a body of water 250 to 300 miles long and 20 miles wide. Captain Brewer surmised that "over one-fourth of all the taxable property of the State has been destroyed," and as a result the state went bankrupt. Captain Brewer also reported, "All the roads in the middle of the state are impassable, so all mails are cut off. The telegraph also does not work..."

Empire and Mokelumne City were completely destroyed. Mormon Slough levees breached and flooded the lower parts of Stockton. All bridges were lost in Stockton.

Damage was not confined to the valley. The Sonora Union-Democrat reported that "the mining interest has suffered greatly...wheels, sluices, etc. have suddenly disappeared...deep claims...are filled up...flumes and derricks blown down and washed off." Part of Sonora was underwater. At Knight’s Ferry, homes, the mill, and most businesses were ruined. The bridge there failed when it was rammed by the debris of a failed upstream bridge. Nearly every building in Mokelumne Hill was torn from its foundation. Big Oak Flat was wiped out.

C-C-32 - C.7 Tulare Lake Hydrologic Region
The "Great Flood." Historically, the total area of the four lakes of the Tulare Lake Basin fluctuated from a few square miles to more than 800 square miles, depending on the amount of inflow.

Tulare Lake would begin to overflow into Fresno Slough and to the San Joaquin River at an elevation of 207 to 210 feet, when the maximum depth was about 30 feet. A reconstruction of Tulare Lake levels using precipitation records, evaporation estimates, and eyewitness accounts indicates that water flowed out of Tulare Lake toward the north in 18 of the 28 years from 1850 to 1877. In wetter years, Kern and Buena Vista lakes would coalesce and cover 100 square miles or more, flowing through Buena Vista Slough to Tulare Lake. By the 1860s, Kings River diversions for irrigation had begun. The last natural Tulare Lake outflow was in 1877, and by 1899, the lake bed was dry except in wet periods.

During the Great Flood of 1861-62, the lake rose to 216 feet and covered 790 square miles. The flood caused channel changes in all four principal rivers. Cole Slough began to form, becoming a principal northward distributary of the Kings River. A new distributary, the St. John's River, was created for the Kaweah River. The Tule River eroded a new main channel now called Porter Slough. The Kern River eroded a new channel to the northwest, bypassing Kern Lake and perhaps Buena Vista Lake. Flood damage included the following: C-C-33

December 1867-January 1868. The Tulare Lake Basin flood is considered the greatest in the region since European settlement began. Total basin runoff was estimated by Reclamation to exceed the measured 1983 record. An overflow elevation of 216 feet was again recorded in Tulare Lake, equaling the stage of 1862.

The Kings, Kaweah, Tule, and Kern rivers all carried flows exceeding those of the Great Flood of 1861-62. The four rivers brought down great quantities of timber from the Sierra Nevada, including sequoia logs up to 30 feet in diameter.

The Kings River completed the formation of Cole Slough and again engulfed Scottsburg in its new location; and Scottsburg was moved again and renamed Centerville.

Flooding in the valley below the Kaweah and Tule rivers was so extensive that an observer reported that one could have ridden a boat from Smith Mountain (near Dinuba) 41 miles to the Tule River. Another account claimed that the valley was a lake of water from Buena Vista Lake to the San Joaquin River. The Kaweah River deposited more obstructing debris in its delta, further enlarged the St. Johns River and established a new head for it at McKays Point, washed out 12 miles of the People's Ditch near Farmersville, and reflooded Visalia up to 5 feet deep. The Tule River spread over the Poplar and Woodville districts. Deer Creek and the White River left their channels and merged on the way to Tulare Lake.

The Kern River cut the present-day channel even farther north than the one created 5 years earlier, entering Buena Vista Lake from the north.

Remarkable in this event were the following three landslides that blocked streams, which then washed out, causing huge downstream waves: C-C-39 - C.8 North Lahontan Hydrologic Region
The "Great Flood." No direct comments on the impact of the Great Flood of 1861-62 in the North Lahontan region have been found. In Nevada, Dayton, on the Carson River just east of Carson City, was flooded, and Aurora, east of Mono Lake, sustained floods that melted adobe buildings.

C-C-40 - C.9 South Lahontan Hydrologic Region
The "Great Flood." The Great Flood of 1861-62 affected the South Lahontan region along with the rest of the area. In the Owens Valley area, snow and flooding depleted the forage, reducing the game population important to local tribes. Lakes formed in the Mojave Desert, and the Mojave River rose 20 feet above normal in Oro Grande.

C-C-41 - C.10 Colorado River Hydrologic Region
The "Great Flood." Little direct information is available about the effects of the Great Flood of 1861-60 [sic] in the Colorado River region. The Colorado River overflowed into the Alamo and New rivers and created a lake in the Salton Sink 60 miles long and 30 miles wide. Ephemeral lakes formed in the Mojave Desert. To the north in the South Lahontan region, the Mojave River rose 20 feet. Rainfall was 300 percent above normal in San Diego.

--Mike Barkley, 167 N. Sheridan Ave., Manteca, CA 95336 (H) 209/823-4817
mjbarkl@inreach.com
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