May 31, 1889

May 31, 1889. . , The valley in front of you once cradled a scenic lake. Held back by an earthen dam just below here, Lake Conemaugh stretched more than two miles up the valley to your left. The lake was the heart of an exclusive resort where sailboats caught the mountain breezes, and anglers pursued trophy fish., Everything changed on May 31, 1889. At 3:15 p.m., after record rainfall, the South Fork Dam gave way. In minutes the lake was gone, and in less than an hour a devastating wall of churning water and debris hit the city of Johnstown 14 miles downstream. The death toll exceeded 2,200., Johnstown Flood National Memorial, established by Congress in 1964, commemorates the tragic Johnstown Flood by preserving the remains of the South Fork Dam. Exhibits and programs in the Visitor Center describe the flood's origin and destructive power. A trail from the Visitor Center leads to viewpoints of the historic dam and lakebed., “The scene of destruction presented was unparalleled in the annals of American history....” , Rev. David J. Beale, A survivor of the Johnstown Flood, 1890, [From flood path description at bottom center of marker.] The breaching of the dam here launched a deadly flood wave 30-60 feet high down the valley of the Little Conemaugh River to Johnstown. The wave travelled the 14 miles in about 45 minutes.