Floods have been common along the Big Sioux River for hundreds of years. The combination of flat land, heavy snows, and spring rains can be disastrous. One of the most devastating floods occurred in 1881. The winter had been particularly harsh, beginning with a blizzard in October and lasting until late April.
A newspaper account from the 1881 Dakota Pantagraph recounts the destruction caused by a flood through downtown Sioux Falls. An ice dam had broken apart near the confluence of Skunk Creek and the Big Sioux River. Water and ice flowed down the river until reaching the bridge over Tenth Street, knocking it down, as well as washing away several other structures.
Other less damaging floods occurred again in 1888, 1909, 1915, 1922, 1929, and 1937. From 1907 to 1910, drainage ditches were constructed north of town with the hopes of preventing major flooding in the flat farmlands as well as throughout Sioux Falls. A spillway, just north of the Penitentiary, was added in 1908.
Significant floods in 1951 and again in 1957 solidified the need for increased flood control. The flood crest in 1957 was 86.7 feet, the highest since 92 feet in 1881. Between 1955 and 1961, several important steps were taken to control flooding through Sioux Falls, including the construction of levees, diversion channels, and
the replacement of the spillway. The City of Sioux Falls is constantly coordinating with FEMA to regulate flooding through additional studies and levee improvements.
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