No one could ever believe what has happened here.  Everybody from Lowrie’s down to William’s, from Bethurem’s down to MacDonald’s and Nick Chatreau’s had evacuated their homes by Saturday evening and since, everybody in Swede Alley with the exception of Gus and the Carmichaels.

About half of the population is here (school) and the other half on the flat back of MacGillivrays.  In my house the water is as high as to about 2 inches of the top of the kitchen window at the back.  Yesterday and today I had to trip over to get some things, special things, and the way to get in was by the window above the kitchen porch.

My house and Skinner’s were the luckiest outside of Lowrie’s and Swede Alley.  We can barely see the roof of William’s.  Drake’s has gone.  Erling’s has gone.  Henderson’s is pushed against the church.  MacDonell’s has gone.  Bessie’s (Branch) house upset somewhere down that way.  Store and up to Skinner’s still standing.

None of us got any furniture out, only first night blankets and any grub or things we could pick up in a hurry.  Duncan carried me from the house to the gate in water up to his hips.  Yesterday we got mattresses from upstairs.

Post’s house stranded or cabled around the ferry tower.  Colburn’s twisted around. George Alger’s is stranded on the track.  Water is nearly to top of door at Bethurem’s.  Bell’s house tipped forward.  Jack Smith’s shack is about where the Adams’s house should be.  Adams’s house is down below their cottonwood trees at front and cabled to them.  Lougheed’s house against MacGillivrey’s.  Moody’s tipped and submerged.  MacGillivrey’s hotel flooded to second story and his cottage stranded somewhere down by the bridge and all sheds and outbuildings gone or out of place.

I don’t know how people can ever get settled here again.  The terrible time we’ll have to ever get straightened out again and try to restore our belongings or what’s left of them.

They managed save quite a lot of groceries from the store and no one need be hungry for a while yet.  The water has gone down three inches today and as soon as we think it safe enough we’re going back to the house as we can live upstairs until we can get the bottom fixed up.  Grandma (Durham) and Nell (Adams) are much worse than I.

They’ve set a radio up tonight using school fence for aerial and it’s coming in pretty good.  We’re all well and everybody is swell and helping each other all they can.  There is no need to worry about any of our safety or health.

This was an unsigned page of a letter among family papers.  Do not recognize writing and the name “Duncan” is not familiar although it does mention my Grandmother Durham and my mother.

Helene McRae