Vincennes in Knox County, Indiana — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
A Journey Through Flooded Waters
Photographed by Connor Olson, November 2, 2024
1. A Journey Through Flooded Waters Marker
Inscription.
A Journey Through Flooded Waters. . The Wabash River has long been a powerful force of nature, capable of causing damage and leaving devastation in the wake of its unpredictable meanderings. This held true in 1778 for Lt. Governor Henry Hamilton of the British forces and the colonial militia of Colonel George Rogers Clark. When Francis Vigo told Clark of the surrender of Fort Sackville to Lt. Governor Henry Hamilton, Clark felt compelled to rally 170 men at Kaskasia to take back the fort. Clark's 160-mile journey through Illinois and into Indiana took 19 days. For ten of those days, Clark and his men spent their time in icy cold waters of the Wabash River, many nights up to their necks! After a long, hard journey Clark and his men finally reached Fort Sackville on February 23, 1779. Using the element of surprise and the river, they were able to implement their attack and take back the fort. , "Set off to cross the plain called Horse-shoe Plain, about four miles long, all covered with water breast high. Here we expected some of our brave men must certainly perish, having frozen in the night, and so long fasting. Having no other resource but wading this plain, or rather lake, of waters, we plunged into it with courage, Colonel Clark being first, taking care to have the boats try to take those that were weak and numbed with cold into them." , From the diaries of Joseph Bowman, Feb. 23, 1779 , Captions: , 1898 Flood courtesy of the Norbert Brown Collection , The turn into the twentieth century marked some of the largest floods of the river since Clark's march. The photo at left dates from 1898, looking at a flooded Vincennes from the Illinois side of the river. In March of 1913, Vincennes experienced its highest volume flow from the river, as seen by the photo at right of a crowd gathered at First and Main streets. The rain began on Easter Sunday and the floodwaters eventually reached 26.30 ft. This flood broke the levee on both the Vincennes and Illinois sides of the Wabash. , 1913 Flood courtesy of the Norbert Brown Collection
The Wabash River has long been a powerful force of nature, capable of causing damage and leaving devastation in the wake of its unpredictable meanderings. This held true in 1778 for Lt. Governor Henry Hamilton of the British forces and the colonial militia of Colonel George Rogers Clark.
When Francis Vigo told Clark of the surrender of Fort Sackville to Lt. Governor Henry Hamilton, Clark felt compelled to rally 170 men at Kaskasia to take back the fort. Clark's 160-mile journey through Illinois and into Indiana took 19 days. For ten of those days, Clark and his men spent their time in icy cold waters of the Wabash River, many nights up to their necks! After a long, hard journey Clark and his men finally reached Fort Sackville on February 23, 1779. Using the element of surprise and the river, they were able to implement their attack and take back the fort.
"Set off to cross the plain called Horse-shoe Plain, about four miles long, all covered with water breast high. Here we expected some of our brave men must certainly perish, having frozen in the night, and so long fasting. Having no other resource but wading this plain, or rather lake, of waters, we plunged into it with courage, Colonel Clark being first, taking care to have the boats try to take those that were weak and numbed with cold into them."
From
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the diaries of Joseph Bowman, Feb. 23, 1779
Captions: 1898 Flood courtesy of the Norbert Brown Collection The turn into the twentieth century marked some of the largest floods of the river since Clark's march. The photo at left dates from 1898, looking at a flooded Vincennes from the Illinois side of the river. In March of 1913, Vincennes experienced its highest volume flow from the river, as seen by the photo at right of a crowd gathered at First and Main streets. The rain began on Easter Sunday and the floodwaters eventually reached 26.30 ft. This flood broke the levee on both the Vincennes and Illinois sides of the Wabash. 1913 Flood courtesy of the Norbert Brown Collection
Erected by National Park Service; Lincoln High School Youth Advisory Council.
Location. 38° 40.748′ N, 87° 32.182′ W. Marker is in Vincennes, Indiana, in Knox County. It can be reached from South 2nd Street. The marker is located in George Rogers Clark National Historical Park. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 401 South 2nd Street, Vincennes IN 47591, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Indiana’s Tri-State Region, in Southern Indiana, and in the Wabash Valley. It is also in the American Midwest and in the Corn Belt. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Viceroyalty of New France, the territory of the Mississippian Culture, and the Northwest Territory.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking
Another marker is no longer nearby. Fort Sackville in 1779 (was about 300 feet away but has been permanently removed).
Credits. This page was last revised on November 22, 2024. It was originally submitted on November 5, 2024, by Connor Olson of Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin. This page has been viewed 179 times since then and 19 times this year. Photos:1, 2. submitted on November 5, 2024, by Connor Olson of Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.
