The 1000-Year Flood of 1959: An Eyewitness Account
The 1959 flood at Garland Mineral Springs was one of those events that stayed with everyone who lived through it. The danger arrived when the rising waters of the river began carrying logs and debris directly into the lodge. As the water rose, those inside the lodge were startled by the sound of logs slamming into the side of the building. The lodge had been built with substantial timber construction, and during the flood that strength mattered. Logs and debris struck the building again and again, but the lodge held that night.
Praying as the Flood Roared Around Us
Inside the lodge, the situation was frightening and uncertain. I remember the sound of the flood roaring around the building, the impact of logs striking the walls, and the cries of animals being swept away in the torrent. We did a lot of praying that night.
Before the worst of the flood hit, we had walked the property and everything seemed to be all right. But as we stood near the basement stairs, we looked northeast and saw a wall of water headed our way.
We hurried down the stairs and then back up toward the coffee shop. Along the way, we found that an older man had become trapped in the laundry room in the basement. The floodwaters had risen so fast that the doors could no longer be opened.
We broke the window in the door and pulled him through to safety. After rescuing him, everyone hurried up the basement stairs and into the coffee shop, with the floodwaters close behind us.
As I remember it, the flood lasted all night and most of the next day. It may have lasted longer, but that is how I remember it.
The Basement Filled Almost to the Ceiling
The water continued to rise in the basement, stopping only about six inches from the ceiling. I remember opening, and then breaking, the chain on a window at the top of the stairs so the floodwaters would have a path out of the building. It was one more desperate effort to give the water somewhere to go. The next day, I remember finding our cat on top of the furnace. Somehow, he had managed to keep his head above the water. He survived.
Turning Off the Power
One of the clearest memories from that night was of my father, Cameron Sharpe, walking the pool fence to reach the road and turn off the direct-current power coming from the generator plant on Troublesome Mountain. It was a dangerous thing to do, but shutting off the power was necessary for everyone’s safety. With floodwater moving through the property, the electrical system could have made an already dangerous night even worse.
Cabins Knocked From Their Foundations
The flood damaged the property severely. Cabins 24 and 25 were knocked from their foundations and washed 50 to 100 feet toward the lodge. The Holter family was living in Cabin 1109 at the time. They were not directly affected by the floodwaters, but they lost power when Dad turned it off. They were also stranded and could not reach the lodge until the water receded.
For those in the lodge, the flood was terrifying. For those cut off in the cabins, it must have been a long and helpless wait until the water finally began to go down.
Cleaning Up — Then Being Hit Again
After the floodwaters receded, the cleanup began. Mud filled the basement, and everyone pitched in to remove it one wheelbarrow load at a time.
We placed boards over the basement stairs to create a ramp. A rope was tied to the wheelbarrow, and others would pull from above while James Woolsey guided it. James was wiry and strong, the perfect person for that kind of work. It was all hands on deck.
I remember my father walking out to get help after the flood. He was really a tough guy. It is no wonder he lived to the age he did — 93.
About a week later, the river hit Garland again. It waited just long enough for us all to pitch in and clean the mud out of the basement, and then we had to face the river all over again.
A Defining Garland Memory
The 1959 flood was more than a property-damage event. For those who were there, it was a night of fear, rescue, prayer, hard work, and survival.
The lodge held against the pounding logs. People escaped rising water in the basement. An older man was pulled through a broken window to safety. Cameron Sharpe risked himself to turn off the power. Cabins were knocked from their foundations. Families were cut off. The cleanup took strength, teamwork, and determination.
It is also a reminder that Garland has always lived with the river. The same waters that made the valley beautiful and gave life to the mineral springs could also rise with terrifying force. In 1959, the lodge survived. The people survived. And the story became part of Garland’s history.