Floods of 1950 in the Red River of the North and Winnipeg River Basins
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Floods of 1950 in the Red River of the North and Winnipeg River Basins Prepared by WATER RESOURCES DIVISION FLOODS OF 1950 GEOLQGICAL SURVEY WATER-SUPPLY PAPER 1137-B A presentation of data on floods in Min nesota, North Dakota, and Manitoba, prepared in cooperation with the Water Resources Division, Department of Re sources and Development, Canada. UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE, WASHINGTON : 1952 UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Oscar L. Chapman, Secretary GEOLOGICAL SURVEY W. E. Wrather, Director For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U. S. Government Printing Office Washington 25, D. C. - Price $1.00 PREFACE The data -for this report were collected separ ately, but prepared for publication jointly by the Water Resources Division, U. S. Geological Survey, C. G. Paulsen, chief hydraulic engineer, and the Water Resources Division, Department of Resources and Development, Canada, Norman Marr, Chief. For the Geological Survey, the field work was per formed and the report prepared in the Surface Water Branch, J. V. B. Wells, chief. The work of gathering and preparing the data for publication was apportioned and directed as follows: North Dakota and main stem of Red River, Harlah Erskine, district engineer, Bismarck; Minnesota, Paul Speer, district engineer, St. Paul; Canada, D. B. Gow, district engineer, Winnipeg. Several engineers of the Geological Survey detailed from other parts of the United States assisted in the field and office work in Minnesota and North Dakota. Coordination of the field work in the United States was done by Hoilister Johnson, hydraulic engineer. This report was assembled and the text prepared by the staff of the special reports office in Lincoln, Nebr., R. E. Oltman, engineer in charge. Ill CONTENTS Page Abstract ..................................................................... 115 Introduction ..................................................;............... 116 Acknowledgments ............................................................. 116 General description of floods ................................................... 117 Location .................................................................. 117 Causes.................................................................... 117 Main stem Red River ....................................................... 120 Tributary streams ......................................................... 132 Sheyenne River ......................................................... 132 Buffalo River ........................................................... 132 Wild Rice River of Minn. ................................................ 133 Goose River ............................................................ 133 Turtle River ............................................................ 133 Red Lake River ......................................................... 136 Forest River............................................................ 137 Snake River ............................................................ 139 Park River ............................................................. 139 Pembina River .......................................................... 140 Roseau River .......'.................................................... 141 Winnipeg River Basin!....................................................... 142 Unusual events ............................................................. 143 Meteorology (Prepared by the staff of the U. S. Weather Bureau) .................. 144 Flood damages ............................................................... 151 Determination of flood discharge ............................................... 159 Stages and discharges at stream-gaging stations . ................................. 159 Red River main stem ...................................................... 161 Ottertail River near Detroit Lakes, Minn. ................................. 161 Ottertail River below Pelican River near Fergus Falls, Minn. ............... 161 Red River of the North at Wahpeton, N. Dak. ............................... 162 Red River of the North at Fargo, N. Dak. ................................. 164 Red River of the North at Halstad, Minn. .................................. 166 Red River of the North at Grand Forks, N. Dak. ............................ 167 Red River of the North at Oslo, Minn. ....;................................ 169 Red River of the North at Drayton, N. Dak. ................................ 170 Red River of the North at Emerson, Manitoba .............................. 171 Red River of the North at Letellier, Manitoba .............................. 173 Red River of the North at St. Jean, Manitoba ............................... 173 Red River of the North at Morris, Manitoba ................................ 174 Red River of the North at Ste. Agathe, Manitoba ............................ 174 Red River of the North at St. Norbert, Manitoba ............................ 175 Red River of the North at Winnipeg, Manitoba .............................. 176 Red River of the North at Lockport, Manitoba .............................. 178 Pelican River Basin ........................................................ 178 Pelican River near Detroit Lakes, Minn. .................................. 178 Pelican River near Fergus Falls, Minn. ................................... 179 Bois de Sioux River Basin................................................... 179 Lake Traverse near White Rock, S. Dak. .................................. 179 Bois de Sioux River near White Rock, S. Dak. .............................. 180 Mustinka River Basin....................................................... 181 Mustinka River above Wheaton, Minn. ..................................... 181 West Branch Mustinka River below Mustinka ditch, near Charlesville, Minn. .. 183 Mustinka ditch above West Branch Mustinka River, near Charlesville, Minn. .. 184 Mustinka ditch below West Branch Mustinka River, near Charlesville, Minn. .. 185 Rabbit Creek Basin ........................................................ 186 Rabbit Creek at Campbell, Minn. ......................................... 186 Wild Rice River Basin ....................................................... 187 Wild Rice River near Mantador, N. Dak. .................................. 187 Wild Rice River near Abercrombie, N. Dak. ............................... 188 Sheyenne River Basin ....................................................... 190 Sheyenne River near Harvey, N. Dak. ..:.................................. 190 Sheyenne River at Sheyenne, N. Dak. ..................................... 191 Sheyenne River near Warwick, N. Dak. ................................... 192 Sheyenne River near Cooperstown, N. Dak. ................................ 193 Lake Ashtabula Reservoir ................................................ 194 Sheyenne River below Baldhill Dam, N. Dak. ............................... 195 Y VI CONTENTS Stages and discharges at stream-gaging stations Continued. Page Sheyenne River Basin--Continued. Sheyenne River at Valley City, N. Dak. ................................... 197 Sheyenne River near Kindred, N. Dak. .................................... 199 Sheyenne River at West Fargo, N. Dak. ................................... 200 Devils Lake near Devils Lake, N. Dak. ................................... 201 Maple River at Mapleton, N. Dak. ........................................ 202 Rush River at Amenia, N. Dak. .......................................... 203 Buffalo River Basin .............^.......................................... 204 Buffalo/River near Hawley, Minn. ........................................ 204 Buffalo River near Dilworth, Minn. ....................................... 205 South Branch Buffalo River at Sabin, Minn. ....'................ i........... 207 Wild Rice River of Minnesota Basin .......................................... 208 Wild Rice River at Twin Valley, Minn. .................................... 208 Wild Rice River near Ada, Minn. .................... t.................... 210 Wild Rice River at Hendrum, Minn. ....................................... 211 Goose River Basin ......:.................................................. 212 Goose River at Portland, N. Dak. ........................................ 212 Goose River at Hillsboro, N. Dak. ........................................ 213 Marsh River Basin ......................................................... 214 Marsh River below Ada, Minn. ........................................... 214 Marsh River near Shelly, Minn. .......................................... 215 Sand Hill River Basin ....................................................... 217 Sand Hill River at Beltrami, Minn. ....................................... 217 Sand Hill ditch at Beltrami, Minn. ........................................ 218 Sand Hill River at Climax, Minn. ......................................... 219 Red Lake River Basin ....................................... '. .............. 220 Lower Red Lake near Red Lake, Minn. .................................... 220 Red Lake River near Red Lake, Minn. .................................... 220 Red Lake River at High Landing, near Goodridge, Minn. .................... 221 Red Lake River at Crookston, Minn. ...................................... 223 Thief River near Thief River Falls, Minn. ................................. 225 Clearwater River at Plummer, Minn. ..................................... 227 Clearwater River at Red Lake Falls, Minn. ...............................