Today in Wheeling History: December 19--The Ohio River reaches flood stage in Wheeling for the fourth time in 1937, cresting at 37.3 feet (1937).
The year 1937 proved to be particularly challenging for Wheeling residents as the Ohio River reached flood stage (36 feet) four separate times. The December flood, resulting from nearly sixty hours of rain over the upper Ohio Valley, crested at 37.3 feet at Lock 12 in Warwood. While not as severe as the January floods of the same year which reached 46.2 and 48.7 feet, the December flood still caused significant disruption. Wheeling Island was heavily impacted, with Bridge Park at Zane Street becoming a lake and garden lands east of Front Street submerged. The fairgrounds were flooded several feet deep, and water extended up Front Street almost to Ohio Avenue. The flooding disrupted transportation, forcing the closure of multiple routes including Route 2 and causing interruptions to streetcar service. Local industries were affected, with the Carnegie-Illinois mill at Mingo Junction forced to suspend operations. The Red Cross, however, determined the situation did not warrant declaring a state of emergency. Only freezing temperatures and the cessation of rain prevented the valley from experiencing an even more serious flood event.
To learn more: Ohio County Public Library Archives, Wheeling WV (https://shorturl.at/VRLxE); The Wheeling Intelligencer (https://shorturl.at/T6JnP)
Photo credits: Ohio County Public Library Archives, Wheeling WV; Library of Congress
The year 1937 proved to be particularly challenging for Wheeling residents as the Ohio River reached flood stage (36 feet) four separate times. The December flood, resulting from nearly sixty hours of rain over the upper Ohio Valley, crested at 37.3 feet at Lock 12 in Warwood. While not as severe as the January floods of the same year which reached 46.2 and 48.7 feet, the December flood still caused significant disruption. Wheeling Island was heavily impacted, with Bridge Park at Zane Street becoming a lake and garden lands east of Front Street submerged. The fairgrounds were flooded several feet deep, and water extended up Front Street almost to Ohio Avenue. The flooding disrupted transportation, forcing the closure of multiple routes including Route 2 and causing interruptions to streetcar service. Local industries were affected, with the Carnegie-Illinois mill at Mingo Junction forced to suspend operations. The Red Cross, however, determined the situation did not warrant declaring a state of emergency. Only freezing temperatures and the cessation of rain prevented the valley from experiencing an even more serious flood event.
To learn more: Ohio County Public Library Archives, Wheeling WV (https://shorturl.at/VRLxE); The Wheeling Intelligencer (https://shorturl.at/T6JnP)
Photo credits: Ohio County Public Library Archives, Wheeling WV; Library of Congress
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