1937 Ohio River flood in Stuebenville photograph   Save
Ohio Guide Photographs
Description: Caption reads: "Steubenville, Ohio. 1937 Flood. Sand works and Penna R.R. bridge." The greatest volume of water ever known to pass along Ohio’s southern shores flooded all Ohio River communities during the last two weeks of January 1937. With damage stretching from Pittsburgh to Cairo, Illinois, 1 million were left homeless, with 385 dead and property losses reaching $500 million, further worsened by the fact that it occurred during the Great Depression and just a few years after the Dust Bowl. Crests were 20 to 28 feet above flood stage and 4 to 9 feet above previous records. Six to 12 inches of rain fell in Ohio during January 13-25, 1937, totals never before or since experienced over such a large area of Ohio. January 1937 remains as the wettest month ever recorded in Ohio. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: SA1039AV_B01F17_035
Subjects: Steubenville (Ohio)--History--Pictorial works; Floods--Ohio--Ohio River; Ohio River--History; Central business districts; Storefronts--United States--Pictorial works; Floods; Disasters; Ohio--History--Pictorial works; Federal Writers' Project
Places: Steubenville (Ohio); Jefferson County (Ohio)