Flood of 1908 The Flood of 1908 Loraine Bentz Domine Granite County Historical Society In June of 1908 Drummond was the scene of a massive flood. After a three day snow, sleet and rain storm all the creeks in the area overflowed filling the canyons with many feet of water. The Northern Pacific Railroad tracks were washed out between Garrison and Drummond which blocked the main-line rail traffic for three weeks. Many Butte passengers were “marooned” in Drummond. In June of 1908 Frank Morse stated “it rained for forty days and nights”, in an account to Fan Harrington written up in the Montana Standard on July 5, 1976. Morse said: “…accompanied by Fred Maxwell, I walked from Drummond to within a few miles of Philipsburg. A train crew was working on a washed out track at six mile, and we waited for the men to finish their work then we would ride the train into town. The first morning H.A. Featherman, Lawrence Hauck, Otis Mercereau and a lineman, who was to repair the telephone lines, and myself started for Drummond on a railroad handcar. When we came to a washout one man splashed ahead through the water for a short way in order to stop the handcar if it got away from the men who were pushing it. The bridge at Drummond was washed away and there was no train service between Drummond and Philipsburg for six weeks. On the day of my wedding a few days later, water was within an inch of the floor level of the house where the ceremony was to take place. The piano which had been on saw horses and the parlor rug and furniture which had been removed in-case the room flooded were put back in place and the wedding was performed on schedule.” The June 12, 1908 Philipsburg Mail described the flood as the worst since the white man “..had set foot in this part of the state.” As bad as the damage was there was no loss of life and by June 12th the waters were receding, but fear was still present as the weather had warmed and caused the high mountain snows to start melting very fast. Flint Creek and Rock Creek were very high but the high bridges had withstood the rushing waters. Wagon roads everywhere were washed completely away, including the bridge at Stone over Flint Creek; the bridge at Jenkins ranch near Hall; at Drummond the south approach to the steel bridge across Hellgate was gone, leaving an eighty foot gap between the road and the bridge; at Bearmouth the county bridge across Hellgate was washed out which left Garnet cut off from the railroad. The only road open from Garnet on the 12th of June was the one over the mountain and Rattler gulch to Drummond. All other roads were able to be traveled on except Drummond, Stone and Bearmouth. The week after the flood started, County Commissioner John Duffy and a crew of miners went down to the pot hole (about 6 miles north of Philipsburg), and blasted out the reef of rock. They then graded a new road along the high ground so all could pass without any fear of the raging water. This flood was very similar to the one 16 years prior but the water higher and damages greater. The railroad track was washed out between Philipsburg and Drummond near the Franz ranch. The county commissioners rotated shifts at the rock reef, to keep teams from trying to cross that flooded section of road. No trains were able to travel the tracks for several weeks. The Philipsburg Mail June 5, 1908 estimated the number of travelers stranded at Drummond as 900. By June 12th the news was that everyone was doing okay for supplies in both Drummond and Philipsburg but all the train crews were idled except for the repair crews. There had been “..no mail, express or even a pound of freight for Philipsburg or Drummond and from present indications the branch line will be open for traffic at least a week before anything is moving on the main line.” A big washout was in Alex Wight’s field about 100 yards north of the bridge across Flint creek. The embankment was washed away for about twenty feet and gouged a hole ten to twenty feet deep. All in all, the tone of the day was cheerful and positive throughout the weeks of repairs detailed in the newspapers. As a result of the storm the flour supply in Drummond was exhausted and was replenished by a shipment brought from Philipsburg on a handcar. The merchants of Philipsburg ran out of sugar, ham and bacon, so these items were freighted from Anaconda by team. During all of this many head of livestock were drowned.

 In June of 1908, Drummond was the scene of a massive flood. After a three day snow, sleet and rain storm all the creeks in the area overflowed filling the canyons with many feet of water. The Northern Pacific Railroad tracks were washed out between Garrison and Drummond which blocked the main-line rail traffic for three weeks. Many Butte passengers were “marooned” in Drummond. 

In June of 1908 Frank Morse stated “it rained for forty days and nights”, in an account to Fan Harrington written up in the Montana Standard on July 5, 1976. Morse said: “…accompanied by Fred Maxwell, I walked from Drummond to within a few miles of Philipsburg. A train crew was working on a washed out track at six mile, and we waited for the men to finish their work then we would ride the train into town. The first morning H.A. Featherman, Lawrence Hauck, Otis Mercereau and a lineman, who was to repair the telephone lines, and myself started for Drummond on a railroad handcar. When we came to a washout one man splashed ahead through the water for a short way in order to stop the handcar if it got away from the men who were pushing it. The bridge at Drummond was washed away and there was no train service between Drummond and Philipsburg for six weeks. On the day of my wedding a few days later, water was within an inch of the floor level of the house where the ceremony was to take place. The piano which had been on saw horses and the parlor rug and furniture which had been removed in-case the room flooded were put back in place and the wedding was performed on schedule.” 

The June 12, 1908 Philipsburg Mail described the flood as the worst since the white man “..had set foot in this part of the state.” As bad as the damage was there was no loss of life and by June 12th the waters were receding, but fear was still present as the weather had warmed and caused the high mountain snows to start melting very fast. Flint Creek and Rock Creek were very high but the high bridges had withstood the rushing waters. Wagon roads everywhere were washed completely away, including the bridge at Stone over Flint Creek; the bridge at Jenkins ranch near Hall; at Drummond the south approach to the steel bridge across Hellgate was gone, leaving an eighty foot gap between the road and the bridge; at Bearmouth the county bridge across Hellgate was washed out which left Garnet cut off from the railroad. The only road open from Garnet on the 12th of June was the one over the mountain and Rattler gulch to Drummond. All other roads were able to be traveled on except Drummond, Stone and Bearmouth. 

The week after the flood started, County Commissioner John Duffy and a crew of miners went down to the pot hole (about 6 miles north of Philipsburg), and blasted out the reef of rock. They then graded a new road along the high ground so all could pass without any fear of the raging water. This flood was very similar to the one 16 years prior but the water higher and damages greater. The railroad track was washed out between Philipsburg and Drummond near the Franz ranch. The county commissioners rotated shifts at the rock reef, to keep teams from trying to cross that flooded section of road. No trains were able to travel the tracks for several weeks. 

The Philipsburg Mail June 5, 1908 estimated the number of travelers stranded at Drummond as 900. By June 12th the news was that everyone was doing okay for supplies in both Drummond and Philipsburg but all the train crews were idled except for the repair crews. There had been “..no mail, express or even a pound of freight for Philipsburg or Drummond and from present indications the branch line will be open for traffic at least a week before anything is moving on the main line.” A big washout was in Alex Wight’s field about 100 yards north of the bridge across Flint creek. The embankment was washed away for about twenty feet and gouged a hole ten to twenty feet deep. 

All in all, the tone of the day was cheerful and positive throughout the weeks of repairs detailed in the newspapers. As a result of the storm the flour supply in Drummond was exhausted and was replenished by a shipment brought from Philipsburg on a handcar. The merchants of Philipsburg ran out of sugar, ham and bacon, so these items were freighted from Anaconda by team. During all of this many head of livestock were drowned.