The Great Flood of March 1849

 

The Evening Post. 28 Mar 1849.

On this date 177 years ago, spring flooding and freezing led to a major disaster for the town of Peru, Illinois. This is where my 3rd-great-grandmother Bridget was living with her first husband Patrick Dooner and sons. According to a history of La Salle County, Illinois (PDF), a spring flood inundated a lowland area. "With the spring thaw, much water had poured into the valley. Suddenly the temperature had dropped, and the water had frozen. A thaw again sent the water swirling over the bottom lands, driving out families and doing untold damage to business and shipping enterprises. It was reported at the time that the water extended from the north to the south bluff entirely covering the bottom lands."