A number of houses in St. Peter were threatened by the flood water of the Minnesota River in 1965, including this one. A sandbag dike helped to protect the house.
The sandbag dike system that is shown in this photo was constructed in order to direct flood water from a controlled release from a dike along Sunrise Drive in St. Peter during the 1965 flood. The dike along Sunrise Drive was in danger of being overwhelmed, so water was sent from there to a ravine that ran along the south side of the Earl Fitch home at 416 North Eighth Street, onto North Eighth Street, onto Madison Street, and into the large Recreation Field near the swimming pool. The water could then make its way to the Minnesota River along the streets and through storm sewers.
A view mainly to the south along North Eighth Street, showing a dike built to send water from Sunrise Drive to Madison Street and the Recreation Field in St. Peter, Minnesota during the 1965 flood. The water ultimately made its way to the Minnesota River. The photo was taken near 416 North Eighth Street.
Water from a controlled release at a sandbag dike along Sunrise Drive in St. Peter was sent through this ravine onto North Eighth Street to begin a lengthy journey to the Minnesota River during the 1965 flood. The house on the left side of this photo is located at 416 North Eighth Street. It was the home of the Earl Fitch family. The view is to the east.
A portion of North Minnesota Avenue was covered by flood water from a controlled release from a dike along Sunrise Drive in St. Peter in 1965. That water was sent onto North Eighth Street, diverted to Madison Street, and allowed to spill into the large Recreation Field as it made its way to North Minnesota Avenue and the nearby Minnesota River. The approaching truck in the center of the photo has reached the intersection at Chestnut Street in this view from a location near the Broadway intersection.
The sandbag dike in the foreground was construced at the west end of the mill pond in St. Peter during the 1965 flood in an attempt to contain the rapidly rising water of the Minnesota River. The river water later submerged the dike, and a second dike was constructed on higher ground beside the electrical substation on the north side of the east end of Nassau Street, which is visible in the center of the photo. At the time, the offices of the Light and Water Department were located a short distance to the west (left) of the dike shown here. The offices were later flooded by the continued rise of the river.
Water from a controlled release from a dike along Sunrise Drive flowed eastward along Madison Street in St. Peter during the 1965 flood. The water was sent through a ravine to North Eighth Street, diverted onto Madison Street, and sent into the Recreation Field, from which it made its way to the nearby Minnesota River. This view looks to the west from a location at the intersection of Madison Street with North Washington Avenue.
The Conrad Anderson family home at 320 North Seventh Street can be seen beside the sandbag barrier along the south side of Madison Street in St. Peter during the 1965 flood. The water came from a controlled release from a dike along Sunrise Drive, from which it was sent along North Eighth and Madison Streets to the Recreation Field. From there, it made its way to the Minnesota River.
Flowing water caused severe damage to Madison Street in St. Peter during the 1965 flood following a controlled release of water contained by a dike along Sunrise Drive. The water was diverted onto North Eighth and Madison Streets and was sent into the Recreation Field, from which it made its way to the Minnesota River. The STOP sign in this photo is at the intersection of Madison Street with North Washington Avenue in this view that looks to the east.
Material used to construct a temporary dike along Madison Street in St. Peter during the 1965 flood is shown in this photograph. The view is to the south, from a location on North Seventh Street, in front of the Ray Olson family home at 403 North Seventh.
The house with the dark siding in the photograph is located at 402 South Seventh Street in St. Peter. The photo was taken during the 1965 flood. Material used to construct a dike along Madison Street is visible across the middle of the photo. A controlled release of water from a dike along Sunrise Drive sent water to North Eighth and Madison Streets, from which it made its way to the Minnesota River.
The dike along the south side of Madison Street in St. Peter during the 1965 flood is visible in this photograph that was taken from a location on the north side of Madison, between North Eighth and North Seventh Streets. The street sign is at the intersection with North Seventh Street.
Madison Street in St. Peter was severely damaged by water that was released from a dike along Sunrise Drive during the 1965 flood. The water was channeled from Sunrise Drive to North Eighth and Madison Streets to the Recreation Field, from which it made its way to the Minnesota River. This view is to the east from a location in the intersection with North Seventh Street.
The house in the center of the photo was the home of Conrad Anderson at 320 North Seventh Street in St. Peter at the time of the 1965 flood. The large pile on the right side of the photo was part of an extensive sandbag dike that ran along Madison Street, which intersected North Seventh Street. The dike was constructed to send flood water from Sunrise Drive to the Minnesota River, partly along Madison Street.
A view to the west along a ravine between Madison and Skaro Streets and west of North Eighth Street in St. Peter, Minnesota. Flood water behind a dike along Sunrise Drive was released into the ravine and diverted onto North Eighth and Madison Streets to the Recreation Field, from which the water could make its way to the Minnesota River.
Water from a controlled release from a dike along Sunrise Drive in St. Peter flowed through this ravine along the south side of the Earl Fitch home at 416 North Eighth Street. The water was then directed onto North Eighth and Madison Streets, from which it flowed into the Recreation Field and the Minnesota River.
This 1965 photograph was taken in St. Peter during the 1965 flood. It shows a very small portion of the melted snow that threatened to flood the city from the area west of Sunrise Drive. The photo appears to have been taken along Traverse Road.
The water in the foreground was on North Minnesota Avenue in St. Peter during the 1965 flood. The Travel Center sign was along Broadway. Flood water was released from a dike along Sunrise Drive and was allowed to make its way toward the Minnesota River. Some of that water reached the intersection that is shown in this photo.
Flood water from a controlled release from a dike along Sunrise Drive in St. Peter in 1965 has reached the intersection of North Minnesota Avenue, which is in the foreground, and Chestnut Street. A worker is busy trying to keep the storm sewer drains free of debris. The water was first sent to North Eighth Street, from where it was diverted onto Madison Street and into the Recreation Field. Various streets allowed the water to eventually flow to the Minnesota River.
This view looking westward up Chestnut Street from North Minnesota Avenue in St. Peter was taken in 1965 when flood water from a controlled release from a dike along Sunrise Drive was making its way to the nearby Minnesota River.
A sandbag dike along North Eighth Street in St. Peter in 1965 turned flood water flowing eastward from a controlled release from a dike along Sunrise Drive into a southward flow for one half of a block. The water then traveled eastward on Madison Street until it reached the Recreation Field and the Minnesota River. This photograph looks to the north along North Eighth Street, from its intersection with Madison Street.
In the distance in this photograph, a sandbag dike can be seen that has turned the flow of flood water coming eastward from Sunrise Drive in St. Peter in 1965 to flow for one half of a block southward along North Eighth Street. The water was then sent along Madison Street to the Recreation Field and onward to the Minnesota River. The photograph looks to the north from the intersection of North Eighth and Madison Streets.