The Flood Of 1920-Palm Sunday (March 28th, 1920) Manistique, MI-The most catastrophic event to occur in Manistique other than the fire of 1883 was the flood of 1920. Floodwaters began pouring over the flume walls in the early morning of Palm Sunday, March 28, 1920. The immediate cause of the flood was an ice jam on the Driggs River that backed the river up. When the jam broke, the water and logs in the river rushed into the Manistique River. Since the winter had an exceptional snowfall along with warmer than normal temperatures and several days of rain, the rivers draining into the Manistique River were already swollen. With the torrent of water, a west bank wall broke, causing water to rush over the flume walls and into the west side of Manistique all the way down Deer Street and Chippewa Avenue.
Tag Archives: Manistique River
Historic Bridges of Manistique
The Red Bridge (wooden bridge) was condemned in 1890.
The old ‘Wood Bridge’ called the Red Bridge was condemned in 1890, the ‘Iron Bridge’ was built parallel to the old wood bridge.
Once the new bridge was completed, the old wood bridge (‘Red Bridge’) became firewood.
Once the Siphon Bridge was built in 1919, the steel girders of the above bridge was used for various building projects throughout the county.
The iconic Siphon Bridge was built across the Manistique River in 1919 by the Manistique Pulp and Paper Company, which was owned by the Minneapolis Tribune Publishing Company.
The Flood Of 1920-Palm Sunday (March 28th, 1920) Manistique, MI-
The Flood Of 1920-Palm Sunday (March 28th, 1920) Manistique, MI-The most catastrophic event to occur in Manistique other than the fire of 1883 was the flood of 1920. Floodwaters began pouring over the flume walls in the early morning of Palm Sunday, March 28, 1920. The immediate cause of the flood was an ice jam on the Driggs River that backed the river up. When the jam broke, the water and logs in the river rushed into the Manistique River. Since the winter had an exceptional snowfall along with warmer than normal temperatures and several days of rain, the rivers draining into the Manistique River were already swollen. With the torrent of water, a west bank wall broke, causing water to rush over the flume walls and into the west side of Manistique all the way down Deer Street and Chippewa Avenue.
First Bridge-Manistique River 1874
First Bridge-Manistique River 1874
This is a picture of the first bridge built across the Manistique River in 1874. It was built higher than the dirt road since logs were floated under it to reach the sawmills. The sidewalls were built up for safety’s sake since traffic was either by foot, bicycle, or horse. In the background are buildings on the east side of Manistique.