The Crooked River Flood

Age 2

My father picked me up and carried me to the car in the darkness of a late winter early evening.  We drove the few blocks to the Crooked River on 2nd Street.  At that time, the steel bridge was still in place where 2nd Street met the river.  That bridge was the only way to get to Redmond or Bend in those days.

My father held me facing the river, one arm around my belly, his other arm under my crotch.  In the low light I could see the high water lapping at the bottom of the steel beams of the bridge.  There was speculation as to whether the bridge would last the flood let alone the night.  I watched the standing waves dance under the bridge.  The water was running very rapidly.  Periodically a wave would splash the underside of the bridge.

The bridge did survive both the night and the river.  It has been moved twice since then, and is still in service as a footbridge to a park.