Grand Forks in Grand Forks County, North Dakota — The American Midwest (Upper Plains)

The River Wins

Photographed by Ruth VanSteenwyk, July 26, 2020

1. The River Wins Marker

Inscription.
On the morning of Friday, April 18, the river found a path into Lincoln Park. Water rushed down Lincoln Drive and swamped the levee from behind, and by late afternoon only the rooftops peeked out above the murky, swirling water. Floodwaters poured through the sewer systems to overrun both downtowns. Central Park, Riverside Park, Sherlock Park, and Griggs Park disappeared under water. That night, the Kennedy Bridge closed, leaving 75 miles of the Red River uncrossable.

By Saturday, half of Grand Forks and all of East Grand Forks were under water. The University of North Dakota campus partially flooded and cancelled classes for the rest of the semester, as did schools in both cities. City, county, state, and federal personnel set up an Emergency Operations Center on the dry ground that remained at the University of North Dakota and worked around the clock to help the community. The river had won. The cities were dark and silent.

Erected by City of Grand Forks.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Disasters • Environment. A significant historical date for this entry is April 18, 1997.

Location. 47° 55.556′ N, 97° 1.916′ W. Marker is in Grand Forks, North Dakota, in Grand Forks County. It is at the intersection of North

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3rd Street and 1st Avenue North on North 3rd Street. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 50 North 3rd Street, Grand Forks ND 58203, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in North Dakota’s Red River Valley.

It is also in the American Lewis & Clark Corridor,

on the prairies,

and on the Northern Plains.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once Rupert’s Land

and also the Louisiana Purchase.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: The Flood Fight Begins (here, next to this marker); A Brutal Winter (here, next to this marker); Evacuating Two Cities (here, next to this marker); Blizzard "Hannah" (here, next to this marker); Security Trust Company (a few steps from this marker); Welcome to Memorial Park (a few steps from this marker); New Hampshire Apartments (within shouting distance of this marker); Dinnie Block (within shouting distance of this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Grand Forks.

Also see . . . The Flood of 1997. Wikipedia entry (Submitted on April 20, 2026, by Larry Gertner of New York, New York.)

Photographed by Ruth VanSteenwyk, July 26, 2020

2. The River Wins Marker

Credits. This page was last revised on April 20, 2026. It was originally submitted on March 29, 2021, by Ruth VanSteenwyk of Aberdeen, South Dakota. This page has been viewed 274 times since then and 10 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on March 29, 2021, by Ruth VanSteenwyk of Aberdeen, South Dakota. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.