Comments on: Memories of the Oct. 1973 Enid Flood

By: Sheri Swartwood Price

Sheri Swartwood Price — Sat, 12 Oct 2024 19:42:47 +0000

I was in my early 30’s when this happened. My brother, Jim Swartwood, lost his wife, Sharon, and two year old baby, Twyla in the Brookside flood. It was the most horrendous time in our lives, identifying bodies and waiting two weeks for search teams to find Sharon’s body under the mud. Funerals two weeks apart, then the long process of shoveling deep mud out of the house and all their belongings out to the curb. Jim had nothing but the clothes on his back and his pickup he was driving. He worked for Southwestern Bell at the time and was out working on communication. Bless his heart – he had such a hard time. Everyone was so kind to him and our family.

By: Lance Jones

Lance Jones — Mon, 10 Oct 2022 19:42:46 +0000

Lance Jones
10/19/22
Hot Springs, Arkansas
49 years ago today, I was 26 years old, working for Social Security in Enid. My wife and I lived on Chisholm Trail in far north central Enid. The night of 10/10/73, I planned to go to choir practice at 1st Presbyterian and my wife was studying for a test she had the next day at nursing school. The heavy rains started in late afternoon and Chisholm Trail soon became a replica of of the raging Colorado River. Our VW Bug floated away. I knew I would not go to choir practice that night.
As the water began to rise toward our front door, we put towels round the door. Well, that did no good, because it soon came in from seemingly everywhere. Finally it rose to about 4 feet in the house. An odd thing about elevation on Chisholm Trail. It all looked to be on the small level, but houses as close as two houses from our stayed dry. We stayed with one of those dry neighbors that night. It was certainly depressing to see your household goods and valuables floating around. The stink and the muck permeated everything for months.
A good friend of mine from work, recently widowed Laura Spurr, allowed us to stay at her house in an untouched part of town while we cleaned up and made the house habitable again. Other friends from work also help[ed. The Small Business Administration handled Federal disaster relief back then and I think they did an excellent job in Enid. I asked for a loan of $2400 and received it within a month of submitting the request. The payback rate was $15 a month and I repaid it in about 15 years. Back then and even today, I hear people complain about the slowness of disaster relief. They seemed to want everything put back the way it was in just a few days. It just doesn’t work like that. It took us about a year to repair and redo the house after our relatively minor disaster. I revisited the house about 6 years ago and it looks better now than when we lived there. For about 10 years after the flood, I got very uneasy whenever there was a heavy, prolonged rain but eventually outgrew that fear.
I enjoyed the 2 years I lived in Enid. I liked everything about it – – except the Great Flood.

By: Rusty Simmons

Rusty Simmons — Mon, 11 Oct 2021 18:39:42 +0000

I was 13 at the time and was at First Baptist Church on Maine for the usual Wednesday night activities. It started storming, and everybody went to the basement because of a tornado warning. A buddy and I were running around unsupervised (as we always did) and looked at Champlain Pool across the alley, giggling that if it kept raining the pool would fill up. Soon the sewers started backing up in the basement so we all went back upstairs to the sanctuary. My Granddad (a deacon) was trying to keep an eye on me but I gave him the slip. My buddy and I looked out the back door and not only was Champlain Pool full, it was solid water from the alley behind the church to the YMCA on the south side of Cherokee. By now it had mostly stopped raining, so we snuck out to see what was going on. There was a big sign on the Knox building flashing a message asking for people to take boats to the southeast part of town. My buddy and I went towards Cherokee and the water was rushing I MEAN RUSHING from west to east. We spotted a car a little ways out and thought we should check that no one is in it. So we waded out into the water, it got up to our knees and was moving fast. I cannot think how close we came to becoming another statistic for the night as we carefully plodded our way back out of the water. Finally things let up and I got a ride home. I lived near Hayes school on the big ditch. The next day I went over to check it out and there was grass and debris in the fencing of the foot bridge, so it had been that deep in the ditch the night before. I’ll never forget that night.

By: AMBER SWIGGART

AMBER SWIGGART — Mon, 02 Mar 2020 16:47:43 +0000

I remember being 3 yrs old living in the trailer park on N Van Buren across from the old Atwoods. My Momma and I were waiting in the storm shelter with a bunch of others, for my Daddy to show up in his big Western oil truck to rescue us. He did, too. I don’t remember where he took us but I do remember having turn away from Independence or Grand, wherever the underpass is, because it was not passable. I remember feeling safe because my Dad showed up.

By: Stacy

Stacy — Sun, 17 Mar 2019 16:45:35 +0000

I was 3 years old. I remember looking out our front windows and watching cars move down the street all by themselves. I remember water in the street to the curbs, and then it seemed like moments later water halfway up the window I was looking through. My parents put me on the washing machine while they grabbed blankets and things, and I remember them wading in waist deep water inside the house. We climbed a ladder to get to the roof, my mom who was 7 months pregnant went first, then me, then my dad hoisted our big English Sheep dog up. My dad was last and as he took his foot off of the ladder it swept away in the current. Mom kept an Army blanket wrapped around herself with me inside. I remember the whole night as darkness, mom singing, dogs howling and barking in panic, and people screaming in agony. I couldn’t see much because of the blanket mom kept around me, but those sounds have haunted me into adulthood. I later learned from my parents that one of our neighbors had a dog kennel in their backyard with hunting dogs in it. There was a roof on the kennel so as the water rose, the dogs drowned. The woman next door was frantic as her husband drowned inside the house, not making it out with her to the roof. My mom was singing all night in an attempt to distract me from the sounds of horror. The next morning, we went to an attic in a church. A woman there gave me a hand made quilt with little blue elephants on it. I had that quilt for decades.

By: Barbara Green

Barbara Green — Thu, 27 Sep 2018 02:23:48 +0000

In reply to Barbara Green. Was their a sportsman lake and the dam broke cause of all the rain. I cant find any information on it.

By: Barbara Green

Barbara Green — Thu, 27 Sep 2018 02:21:34 +0000

In reply to Barbara Green. Was their a sportsman lake znd the dam broke cauze of all the rain. I cant find any information on it.

By: J Elton Whitaker II

J Elton Whitaker II — Tue, 25 Sep 2018 04:03:24 +0000

I was 14 yrs. old, attending Longfellow Junior High School. We were at football practice after school a few miles south at the “dog pound” we called it. We were suddenly called in when the rain suddenly came in and only kept increasing. Our parents had to pick us up. I had to leave my bike which I rode every day before the cold weather set in for the winter. I remember it raining all that evening until around 9 or 10p.m. My brother was stuck at some friends house when while sitting at the table the water broke through the windows from Boggie Creek. His beeeeautiful green Grand Torino got flooded and totalled (loved that car as you should tell). The next day me and my friends spent hours walking around Srings Park, St. Mary’s, Pak-A-Sak all the low-lined areas along the Boggie Creek areas (our regular daily playground), seeing cars and all kinds of debris all over the place, even bloated bodies. What an unforgettable tragic experience. I will never forget. When I think about it (every storm I hear on tv weather reports), it seems like it just happened. I’m now 59 yrs. old. Class of ’78. I’m a bonified KFOR channel 4 and I still remember the special news segment, “The Top 3 for ’73” “if I recall correctly, if it wasn’t on channel 5-hey! I was 14, now 59. It aired Dec.31, 1973. The other big national story I remember on channel 4 was on the Today Show- The Jim Jones Tragedy in Ghyana in the same house I was living in when “The Enid Flood” hit. “John Caine”

By: Barbara Green

Barbara Green — Fri, 07 Sep 2018 01:14:07 +0000

I remember the flood of ’73, we lived in North Enid, south of Breckinridge road. It flooded to the north of us. But I remember something about a small recreational lake called Sportsman lake, their dam broke and contributed to the flooding? My father in law was a custodian at this lake. I had a baby 3 weeks at St. Mary’s after the flood and St. Mary’s was partially up and running.

By: John Henry Jr.

John Henry Jr. — Sat, 14 Jul 2018 03:34:14 +0000

In reply to R Wood. Do you remember what the address was where the President Hotel was located, plrase let me know asap, my grandmother ran the hotel in 1974, or call me, 918-613-0365, Thank you.

By: Vanessa Moore Phillips

Vanessa Moore Phillips — Fri, 23 Mar 2018 19:35:17 +0000

I was 18 y/o. I was home alone. when it started raining I thought it felt different. It came up the curb fast. My sister was out somewhere, I didn’t know where. I drove to one of her friend’s and they were in the front yard on their bikes and my sister was crying because the water was coming up fast. We went home and just watched the water keep rising. We had a high foundation, thankfully. I measured with a yardstick and it was almost to the top of it. Then their was a tornado warning and we went to the basement. we had a sump pump that was keeping up with the rain. Then, the power went out and the basement filled with water and came to the top of the steps of the kitchen. We lived near Champlin and there was an oily mess on top of the water. Who knows what was in that water. We couldn’t reach either of our parents, the phones were out. I tried to drive to one of their houses, but there was no way. It was crazy. I am 62 yrs old now and remember it well. I did most of the taking stuff out of the basement. Everywhere I had been in contact with the flood water was a rash. Never knew what caused it. Must not have been lethal!!

By: Sandra Barrett

Sandra Barrett — Sun, 14 Jan 2018 16:28:54 +0000

I was 9 years old at the time of the Enid flood I lived on East Hemlock right across from the Olsons who lived right behind Olson Hospital the Animal Hospital. I remember my mother had left to go pick up my stepfather, who was at the bus station, and I remember boats going down east hemlock to rescue people. The Olson family came across the street and got my sister Bonnie and my brother Tommy and mmyself,we spent the night with the Olsens at their house. There were several other people there as well. I remember us saying prayers and reading our Bibles and praying for everyone. I later found out that my mom had to climb out of truck because it was filling up with water, she had to climb over a fence and ended up staying the night with complete stranger. my stepfather spend the night in a tree at the bus station. I thank God for saving my Mother that night.

By: Shawn Barnes

Shawn Barnes — Sat, 21 Oct 2017 03:10:16 +0000

In reply to Julie Rieger. Hi Julie, My name is Shawn Barnes. I appreciate your story as I believe that I was that bluish baby and my parents were the young couple. This story is very familiar to me. The details may be varied over the years and from different perspectives but the elements are there. The vw, the tree, E. Hemlock, a lady helping to warm me up, even with a spoonful of bourbon so I was told...My dad told me how terrified they were and that there were 3 or 4 failed boat attempts to rescue them from that tree after they had been there several hours into the early morning hours. The current kept flipping the boats or was too strong for the motors. But finally they were rescued. Are your folks still in Enid? While I have no memory of this as I was only about 18months old at the time I would be amiss if I didn't say thank you. Are your parents still in Enid?

By: Pat Rezler

Pat Rezler — Fri, 13 Oct 2017 04:09:00 +0000

I was 10 when that flood hit. Our family had just moved to Enid and all of our belongings were being stored at a Bekins moving company storage facility. It flooded and destroyed everything. My sister was born on October 9th at St. Mary’s hospital and my Mom, Dad and sister were at the hospital when the flooding hit. Our car was washed away but everyone was ok. It was definitely a disaster for all of us but we recovered. I remember that night like it was yesterday.

Pat Rezler

By: Pam (Bryant) Wilburn

Pam (Bryant) Wilburn — Fri, 13 Oct 2017 03:14:01 +0000

In reply to Rhonda Long Gallagher. Rhonda, I don't know if you'll remember me or not, but we were good friends at PPV and I lived on McClaflin Dr. We moved from Enid to OKC just before the flood. I went to bed that night crying and praying for my friends as I heard about the floods. -Pam (Bryant) Wilburn

By: Curtis Tucker

Curtis Tucker — Thu, 12 Oct 2017 02:55:57 +0000

In reply to Kent Blackledge. Yes. There are now large flood control drainage ditches.

By: April Swinnea-Ogg

April Swinnea-Ogg — Thu, 12 Oct 2017 02:17:04 +0000

In reply to John Hendry.

I turned 1 year old on the 12th. My Aunt and Cousin drowned – Sharon and Twyla Swartwood. I believe my Aunt was the last to be found. It dawned on me, many years later, what a sad first Birthday that must have been – for my mom and my Nana especially.

By: R Wood

R Wood — Thu, 12 Oct 2017 01:58:11 +0000

To the above comment from John R. Henry. The Pesident Motel had the best diving board Enid has ever seen.
My dad took my brother and I down to 2nd and Pine. Cummings Constuction had an office with a HUGE IBM computer on Pine. It was totally under water. ( next day IBM cards looked like wall paper). We watched Mistletoe trailers floating by and hanging up at the railroad trestle on Elm. Appliances were coming out of Gibson’s Store and floating away. We lived near Oakwood and Randolph and the water got up to the top of the curbs. My brother and I drove all over Enid the next day. The site of Enid was devastating. Funny, but remember “Schools out for Ever” by Alice Cooper playing on the radio while driving around. The memory of that night and the weeks following will be there forever.

By: Kent Blackledge

Kent Blackledge — Mon, 28 Aug 2017 16:24:35 +0000

What did the City of Enid do to prevent another flood like the one in 73….? I heard they built a Flood Control Canal or something….

By: Carol

Carol — Thu, 20 Apr 2017 04:43:29 +0000

I was in high school at the time. I remember my sister could not get home from work, and a friend of mine who lived in brookside had to be recued off of her roof. Our church helped with the clean up , and it was really sad at everything the people had lost.
I also remember the next day Elivis Presley was to be in Oklahoma City . We decided that we had to try and get to the City so we could see Him. We had to leave very earlier and detour a lot of places, but we did eventually make it.
It was a very scary night when the rain kept coming. I hope and prayer we never have to experience that again