1950 Red River Flood
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The 1950 Red River flood was a devastating
flood A flood is an overflow of water ( or rarely other fluids) that submerges land that is usually dry. In the sense of "flowing water", the word may also be applied to the inflow of the tide. Floods are an area of study of the discipline hydrol ...
that took place along the Red River in
The Dakotas The Dakotas is a collective term for the U.S. states of North Dakota and South Dakota. It has been used historically to describe the Dakota Territory, and is still used for the collective heritage, culture, geography, fauna, sociology, econom ...
and
Manitoba Manitoba ( ) is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada at the Centre of Canada, longitudinal centre of the country. It is Canada's Population of Canada by province and territory, fifth-most populous province, with a population o ...
from April 15 to June 12, 1950. Damage was particularly severe in the city of
Winnipeg Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the province of Manitoba in Canada. It is centred on the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers, near the longitudinal centre of North America. , Winnipeg had a city population of 749,6 ...
and its environs, which were inundated on May 5, also known as Black Friday to some residents. An estimated 70,000–100,000 residents had to be evacuated, and four of eleven bridges were destroyed. In that year, the Red River reached its highest level since 1861 and flooded most of the
Red River Valley The Red River Valley is a region in central North America that is drained by the Red River of the North; it is part of both Canada and the United States. Forming the border between Minnesota and North Dakota when these territories were admitted ...
, more than . One man died, and property losses due to the flood were estimated at more than $600 million to one billion. To prevent and reduce future damage, the government constructed the
Red River Floodway The Red River Floodway (french: Canal de dérivation de la rivière Rouge) is an artificial flood control waterway in Western Canada. It is a long channel which, during flood periods, takes part of the Red River's flow around the city of Winn ...
, which was completed in 1968. It has been estimated to have prevented more than $100 billion (CAD) in cumulative flood damage.


Winnipeg

Although seasonal flooding was common, this flood surpassed the others. The north-flowing Red River was fed by flows resulting from melting of heavy snows in the winter and runoff from heavy rains in the spring. Eight
dikes Dyke (UK) or dike (US) may refer to: General uses * Dyke (slang), a slang word meaning "lesbian" * Dike (geology), a subvertical sheet-like intrusion of magma or sediment * Dike (mythology), ''Dikē'', the Greek goddess of moral justice * Dikes ...
gave way and flooded much of Winnipeg, turning an estimated of farmland in the area into an enormous lake. A total of more than in the Red River Valley were flooded, from Emerson to north to Greater Winnipeg. The depth of the flood waters on the farmland was between ."Manitoba Flood/May, 1950"
Manitoba Photos, 2005-2013; accessed 12 October 2016
The city turned to the
Canadian Army The Canadian Army (french: Armée canadienne) is the command responsible for the operational readiness of the conventional ground forces of the Canadian Armed Forces. It maintains regular forces units at bases across Canada, and is also respo ...
and the
Red Cross The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is a Humanitarianism, humanitarian movement with approximately 97 million Volunteering, volunteers, members and staff worldwide. It was founded to protect human life and health, to ensure re ...
for help. Four of eleven bridges in the city were destroyed and approximately 100,000 people had to be evacuated from their homes and businesses. This was the largest evacuation in Canadian history until the 1979 Mississauga train derailment. In Winnipeg there was one fatality; property damage was severe, with losses estimated at between $600 million and more than a billion dollars. The flood postponed opening day for baseball in the
Mandak League The Manitoba-Dakota League was an independent baseball league based in Manitoba and North Dakota that was founded in 1950. It became the home for many African-American and Latino players. The league lasted through the 1957 season. It was known i ...
due to inundation of
Osborne Stadium Osborne Stadium was a multi-sport outdoor stadium in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. It operated from 1932 until 1956, and hosted Canadian football home games for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and baseball games in the Mandak League. The stadium was al ...
. The league and president Jimmy Dunn arranged benefit games to raise money for Winnipeg's Flood Fund. As a result of the damage, the government built the
Red River Floodway The Red River Floodway (french: Canal de dérivation de la rivière Rouge) is an artificial flood control waterway in Western Canada. It is a long channel which, during flood periods, takes part of the Red River's flow around the city of Winn ...
, to divert flood waters from Winnipeg to more distant portions of the river. The project was completed in 1968 and has been used 20 times. From 1950 to about 1997, it was derogatorily referred to as "Duff's Ditch", after the premier (
Dufferin Roblin Dufferin "Duff" Roblin, (June 17, 1917 – May 30, 2010) was a Canadian businessman and politician. He served as the 14th premier of Manitoba from 1958 to 1967. Roblin was appointed to the Senate of Canada on the advice of Prime Minister Pierre ...
) that built the floodway. It is estimated to have prevented more than $100 billion (CAD) in cumulative flood damage. The Floodway was designated a
National Historic Site of Canada National Historic Sites of Canada (french: Lieux historiques nationaux du Canada) are places that have been designated by the federal Minister of the Environment An environment minister (sometimes minister of the environment or secretary of t ...
in 2000, and is considered an outstanding engineering achievement both in terms of function and effects.


United States

Flooding in the Red River Valley of the United States resulted in five deaths.{{Cite web, title=Red River of the North Flooding - 1950 , publisher=
USGS The United States Geological Survey (USGS), formerly simply known as the Geological Survey, is a scientific agency of the United States government. The scientists of the USGS study the landscape of the United States, its natural resources, a ...
, date=2008-03-14 , url=http://nd.water.usgs.gov/photos/1950RedFlood/index.html , accessdate=1 April 2009 , archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090331093143/http://nd.water.usgs.gov/photos/1950RedFlood/index.html , archivedate=31 March 2009 , url-status=live


See also

*
Red River of the North The Red River (french: rivière Rouge or ) is a river in the north-central United States and central Canada. Originating at the confluence of the Bois de Sioux and Otter Tail rivers between the U.S. states of Minnesota and North Dakota, it fl ...
*
1997 Red River flood The Red River flood of 1997 was a major flood that occurred in April and May 1997 along the Red River of the North in Minnesota, North Dakota, and southern Manitoba. It was the most severe flood of the river since 1826. The flood reached through ...
*
Red River Floodway The Red River Floodway (french: Canal de dérivation de la rivière Rouge) is an artificial flood control waterway in Western Canada. It is a long channel which, during flood periods, takes part of the Red River's flow around the city of Winn ...


References


External links


SOS! Canadian Disasters
a virtual museum exhibition at Library and Archives Canada.

Red River of the North History of Winnipeg Floods in Canada Red River Red River Red River Natural disasters in Manitoba Red_River_flood, 1950 Red_River_flood, 1950 Red_River_flood, 1950 Floods in the United States Red River floods