Oldest Documented High-Water Mark in Texas

Date:

Wed, 2012-07-18

Image:

Melinda Luna, Team Lead for TNRIS's Floodplain Mapping Services, takes a fascinating look at an important marker of Texas's history and the major flood event of 1843 at the Medina River. The TWDB/TNRIS High-water mark inventory contains over 13,000 high-water marks. Among this inventory, the one documented is found on the Medina River in Castroville. On the grounds of the Landmark Inn, there is a pole by the Gristmill that at first sight seems to document seven past floods in the form of wooden placards with years written on them. The highest of these has the year 1843. Using landmarks, including the mill of this time, the Texas Historical Commission re-established the approximate height of this early flood. Because of the sparse population at the time, there is a lack of contemporary accounts or eyewitnesses, but by combing the diaries and documents of early Texas history, we can begin to get a glimpse at some of the details of this significant event.
Photo by Melinda Luna
Historical texts mention a flood in the early days of February, 1843. In The Paradise of Texas, Volume 1: Clarksville and Red River County, 1846-1860, the flood is described as a, “great freshet that wiped out the buildings and shifted the course of the river channel a mile away from the town of Jonesboro.” Jonesboro was the point several settlers crossed the Red River to get into Texas. Notable Texans, such as David Crockett and Sam Houston, used this crossing. The same year, floods were recorded on the Trinity, Brazos, Colorado, and the Medina Rivers. On the Colorado River at Congress Avenue, the flow was approximately 330,000 cubic feet p/second (cfs). On the Colorado River at least, this is a sizable flood and tells us that the rain was wide spread and not a minor phenomenon. The Medina river basin at this high water mark is 800 square miles. Looking at the existing FEMA study, the flood was 4 feet higher than what is recorded as the 100-year flood (elevation, 749 ft). In fact, looking at the other floods documented at this point, there are 3 floods documented higher than the 100-year elevation on existing FEMA studies and one about the same height. In 1935, D’Hanis, also in Medina County experienced a downpour of 21.5 inches in a 3 hour time period. It’s clear the area has received record rainfall in its history. To date, the flood of 1843 has not been surpassed on the Medina River. Reviewing the earliest rainfall records documented in Robert Lowry’s Excessive Rainfall in Texas, tree rings show the years before the flood as dry years, with average rainfall in 1843. This tells us that even then, Texans were experiencing floods during drought years. In 1843, Texas was seeking statehood. The impact of the flood not only slowed down the progress of settlers en route to the state, but brought cholera, malaria outbreaks, and destroyed much needed crops. With an estimated population at about 70,000, this flood, along with later happenings such as the Mier Expedition executions, must have seemed overwhelming to the morale of the first Texas Settlers. The Landmark Inn high-water mark documents 17 of the floodwaters that have inundated this point. The floods recorded on the marker include the 1843, 1900, 2002, 1880, 1935, 1987, and 1998. But the heights of the June 1897, 1869, 1870, July 1901, November 1902, July 1899, April 1896, and April 1900 flood are also documented water surface elevations. This makes this marker the best-documented location for high-water marks in the State. The Landmark Inn is a Historic site managed by the Texas Historical Commission. http://www.visitlandmarkinn.com/ If you have a high-water mark you would like to contribute the high-water mark database email the information to: highwatermarks@tnris.org