The Flood of 1997

The Flood of 1997. A Destructive Force. The low-lying Scorpion Valley has always been subject to flooding, but overgrazing by sheep increased the intensity., One night in December 1997, over a foot of rain fell on eastern Santa Cruz Island, sending a torrent of mud and water through the Scorpion Valley where you now stand. Imagine water up to your armpits, mud and silt up to your knees. The next morning, the valley was still under water. The flood had destroyed the campground and damaged trails, historic buildings, and artifacts, a blacksmith shop from the 1900s was even washed away. , Floods and storms have always been part of life at Scorpion , it is a river delta. The National Park Service can't do much about the weather, but it can reduce flooding in the Scorpion Valley. Decades of overgrazing devastated plant cover, leaving the soil vulnerable to erosion. By removing livestock and encouraging native plant growth, we are increasing the soil's ability to hold water and slow runoff. , Flood waters unearth the past, The flood carried the white bunkhouse next to the visitor center 30 feet off its foundation, revealing a piece of history previously known only on maps. Archeologists found the foundation of one of the east end's oldest ranch buildings, a 140-year-old residence with a cobblestone courtyard, adobe walls, and a cement floor, all buried under two feet of flood deposits. Maps going back to 1876 show a building on this site. Archeologists think a flood may have damaged or destroyed the original house.