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~ Enderby Cliffs
~ Floods
~ ~ Flood of 1928
~ ~ Flood of
1935
~ ~ Flood of
1948
~ ~ Flood of
1972
~ ~ 1990 Debris
Torrent
~ Geology of North
Okanagan
~ Naming of Enderby
~ Shuswap River
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Flood of 1928
A massive snow melt was
the cause of the 1928 flood in Enderby. The flood waters spilled over the banks of the
Shuswap River leaving roads under water and people's home ruined. The greasy pole used to
measure water height was usually four to six feet out of the water. The pole was
completely submerged and had to be replaced. The government score stick was finally topped
off at 22 feet on May 28, 1928.
The flood submerged the Mabel Lake and Mara roads in many places. Flood water ran from the
Weir Flats to the rock bluff in Grindrod. The Hupel School was cut off by the flood and a
makeshift log bridge was made to reach the school. The C.P.R. Rails, running north and
south of Enderby, were underwater. Water had risen to the second window pane at the Dale
house in the Polson Addition. Preparations for the flood had been made in the spring along
Mabel Lake road. These preparations were of little help; the water filled up behind the
road and flooded everything from Barten's flat out to Potrie's.
"I remember as kid, the sidewalks were wooden. When the town flooded, the sidewalks
floated. We'd get on one of the eight foot lengths and pole around the flooded parts of
the town." So says George Rands, a long time inhabitant of Enderby.
Bunny Gardner, another resident of Enderby, was only six years old at the
time of the 1928 flood. He recalls that "the water was as high as a horse's
belly." He also remembers that the house he lived in was a one-level house which had
about two to three feet of water in it after the flood. The floating sidewalks must have
been quite a sight, for Bunny remembers them as well.
It took from three to six weeks for the flooded areas to dry. Those areas made good
breeding grounds for mosquitoes and disease, this was a concern to the residents of
Enderby. People were glad to return to their deserted homes and see dry land once again.
Paul Maynard
ALF School 1989