Steelville Flood of 1898

Steelville’s Biggest Disaster 

Written by Joshua Howard

On July 7, 1898 Steelville was struck by the most destructive flood, to date, between 2:30 and 3:00 AM. “The flood was a result of the unheeded warning from the railroad. The citizens had been warned however, construction continued and damages resulted over the years. After heavy rains in the area a log jam had built up on the railroad trestle that was west from town, and late in the night, the dam broke, sending vast amounts of water toward the town.”1 The flood took 13 lives, 6 were children. Miss May Abrams, Clarence Taff, Joshua Evans, Flossie Taff, Luther Stough, Miss Lulle Tucker & Her Infant Son, Mrs. William Stough , Mrs. Martha Wood, Mrs. Flora Taff,  Floyd T. Wood Raymond Taff, Little Dew Drop Wood were the people lost.2 The flood wiped out almost half the buildings in Steelville. Many houses were ripped off their foundations and scattered around the valley, no fences were left. The Birds Nest Bridge was also severely damaged. The debris was spread from Midland all the way to Oakland, Missouri. In the business proportion of Steelville, Farrows law books were ruined costing about $2,000. In the Crawford Mirror office, the water was almost 4 feet deep.  W. H. Ferguson’s whole store was wiped out losing $3,000-$5,000 of equipment. The people and buildings were not the only things damaged, the river killed crops and cattle. The river also hurt itself by widening the creek bed. In the events of this it spread gravel into the eastern field of Steelville. People from all over the state pitched in, to help Steelville.