Johnstown Flood An immense earthen dam, weakened by days of Only a short distance from the site of the dam are ADMINISTRATION NATIONAL MEMORIAL steady rain, gave way on the afternoon of the remains of the Allegheny Portage Railroad, Both Johnstown Flood National Memorial and Allegheny May 31, 1889, and poured millions of tons of built between 1831 and 1 834 to cross a forested Allegheny Portage Railroad National Historic water down the narrow valley of the Little Cone- mountain divide and link the eastern and west Site are administered by the National Park maugh River in western Pennsylvania. The flood ern divisions of the canal. Congress has desig Service, U.S. Department of the Interior. Portage Railroad devastated the thriving steel center of Johns nated these structures as the Allegheny Portage NATIONAL HISTORIC SITE, PENNSYLVANIA town and its nearby communities and gave the Railroad National Historic Site "to illustrate the Nation an enduring legend. Some 2,200 persons significant role of the...Portage Railroad and The National Park System, of which these parks perished within a few hours, and other thousands the Pennsylvania Canal in the Nation's history." are units, is dedicated to conserving the great lost everything but their lives. historical, natural, and recreational places of the United States for the benefit and enjoyment of The memorial and the historic site will consist the people. of five areas totaling more than 1,000 acres. To commemorate what until then was the Once sufficient land has been acquired, the A superintendent, whose address is Box 216, Nation's worst natural disaster,Congress in 1964 National Park Service will begin developing both Johnstown, Pa. 1 5907, is in charge of both parks. authorized a 55-acre Johnstown Flood National parks for the visiting public. One important Memorial to be established at the site of the old mission is to safeguard surviving earthworks, THE DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR the Na dam on the South Fork. The dam was originally structures, and buildings associated with the tion's principal natural resource agency—has a constructed by the State from 1836 to 1846 to canal, railroad, and flood. Another will be to in special obligation to assure that our expendable feed water during dry spells to the western terpret through a variety of means the chapter resources are conserved, that our renewable division of the Pennsylvania Canal, a 395-mile of Pennsylvania's transportation and social his resources are managed to produce optimum waterway between Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. tory represented by these physical remains. benefits, and that all resources contribute to the THIS BUILDING AT MAIN AND CLINTON STREET WITH THE CORNER MISSING WAS REPAIRED AND STANDS TODAY. progress and prosperity of the United States, now and in the future.
a. U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE : 1967 O—245-404 o i t/1 <
LU U. S. Department of the Interior < o National Park Service LLJ X I- THE PENNSYLVANIA CANAL AND THE PORTAGE RAILROAD oQ- I One of the great public works of its day, the Alleghenies from Hollidaysburg to Johnstown. in Pennsylvania Canal was constructed between At each town's canal basin, travelers and cargo < 1826 and 1834 to connect the Ohio Valley and transferred from barges to specially designed w < the State's eastern seaboard. For over two railroad cars, which were pulled up the inclined u uj decades—until doomed by the rise of the rail planes by "endless" ropes powered by steam X road and its own obsolesence—the canal was en gin esatthetop of each incline. Horses or loco F- the main line west. In 1857 the burgeoning motives pulled the cars over the level stretches Pennsylvania Railroad bought the canal, and 7 between the planes. In 1842 the English novelist years later the western division was abandoned. Charles Dickens crossed the Alleghenies on the The eastern division remained in operation until portage railroad and reported: "It was very pretty 1899. That year an observer, speaking of the .. .to look down into a valley full of light and soft engineering triumph thattheAII eg h en y crossing ness; catching glimpses, through the treetops, represented, said: "The crossing of the Rocky of scattered cabins; children running to the Mountains decades afterwards was not so diffi doors; dogs bursting out to bark, whom we cult an undertaking at that time as the crossing could see without hearing; terrified pigs scam of the Alleghenies at the time the Old Portage pering homewards; families sitting out in their road was built." rude gardens; cows gazing upwards with a stupid Ten inclined planes —five for the 1,400-foot indifference; men in their shirtsleeves looking ABOUT YOUR VISIT ascent and five for the 1,200-foot descent—a on at their unfinished houses, planning out to 901 -foot tunnel, and long level stretches carried morrow's work; and we rising onward, high Johnstown Flood National Memorial, at the the double-tracked railroad 36 miles across the above them, like a whirlwind." intersection of new U.S. 219 and Pa. 869, is
about iy2 miles southeast of the Borough of THE ROUTE OF THE PENNSYLVANIA CANAL. AN 1853 VIEW OF AN INCLINED PLANE South Fork. Allegheny Portage Railroad National Historic Site is in Blair and Cambria Counties. U.S. 22 is the main route through the area.
Incline 10 Unit will be 1 mile west of Duncans- ville. Incline 8 Unit will be 5 miles west of Duncansville; the Summit Level Unit will be 7V2 miles west of Duncansville; and the Staple Bend Tunnel Unit will be at Mineral Point about7 miles northeast of Johnstown over old U.S. 219. The Governmentis acquiring land for both parks. A SCENE POSED BY COUNTLESS FAMILIES AFTER THE FLOOD