Yesterday's Courier Memory: The 1939 Milk River Flood

This upcoming weekend marks the start of the 75th anniversary of the 1939 Milk River Flood. Until the 1952 flood, it was the most devastating on record for the Milk River valley. The flood started with the snow melt in the smaller tributaries. Some of the worst flooding occurred with the smaller streams. Wagner, west of Malta, had evacuations. The high waters caused a bridge to collapse eight miles south of Malta. Bridge damage in the Hinsdale area closed off the highway. Portions of Hwy. 2 were inaccessible from Malta to Saco, and Saco to Hinsdale. The railroad carried freight back and forth to bring in supplies since the roads were not accessible. Cherry Creek west of Glasgow flooded fields along Highway 2, and this is the first time Cherry Creek didn't impact Glasgow so much because of the new levee.