The Souris River was winding its course through history long before the first fragile homes appeared along its meandering banks. The often docile appearing river was both a friend and a foe. The same river that was a vital source of water also has a storied history of fiercely spilling beyond its banks.

In the early years of settlement in the Souris River region the impact of flooding was minimal. There simply weren’t many structures in the river’s path. National Weather Service records show that Souris River floods occurred in 1881, 1882, 1897, 1899, 1901, 1902, 1904, 1916, 1923, 1925, 1927 and 1928.

The Lake Darling Dam was constructed in 1936, ironically perhaps, as a precaution against low flows in the river. It was the height of the “Dirty ’30s” and Lake Darling was thought necessary to ensure that at least a two-year supply of water could be stored to support the J. Clark Salyer National Wildlife Refuge farther downstream near present-day Upham. J. Clark Salyer NWR was an important duck production refuge at a time when there was a national concern that a series of low water years in the Great Plains was seriously impacting waterfowl populations.

For several years prior to and after the construction of Lake Darling Dam, the Souris River behaved and stayed within its banks. That changed dramatically in 1943 when the Souris burst out of its crooked path and reminded valley residents that even a normally agreeable river can rise with a fury.

Five more major floods would follow after 1943, culminating with what was then called “The Great Flood of 1969.” Floodwaters damaged numerous homes in Minot and throughout the valley. The worst of the residential flooding was primarily limited to one to two feet of water on the main floor. Flood water remained in the city for several weeks, compounding the damage to homes and other structures. Citizens complained that extensive diking in certain areas of the city kept flood water from receding in a timely manner.

With hundreds of flooded homes and National Guardsmen and others laboring to the point of exhaustion, the 1969 flood captured the attention of nationwide media. The largest dike in the city was constructed on North Broadway from Minot State University to the top of the Broadway Bridge. The massive dike was believed necessary to carry emergency vehicles from one side of the city to the other.

What became obvious to many during and after the 1969 flood was that Minot needed some form of protection to guard against a similar flood in the years to come. Operation of Lake Darling Dam, which was far too small to be considered a significant flood control structure, was debated. So too was the building of an additional dam on the Souris River near Burlington. The idea of a Burlington Dam was eventually thwarted at the persistent urging of the “Citizens United to Save the Valley.”

The end result of years of political and emotional haggling eventually resulted in the decision to financially support the building of two dams in southern Saskatchewan the Rafferty Dam on the Souris near Estevan and the Alameda Dam on Moose Mountain Creek near Oxbow. In exchange for several million dollars of construction money, the Canadian dams would dedicate several feet of storage to flood control.

Lake Darling Dam would undergo renovation too. The simple concrete overflow spillway was replaced by a modern gate system capable of regulating releases. Within the city of Minot the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers conducted an extensive channel improvement project. The result was the cutting off of 15 loops of the Souris River in an effort to straighten the river and expedite future flows, the building of a dozen coffer dams and a general clearing of debris, trees and brush from river banks.

Much of the dirt from the project was piled along the banks of the Souris. The dirt was formed into dikes, most of which remain in place today. However, the “dikes” were never built to proper specifications for flood control structures as described by the Corps and therefore lacked any official certification.

Minot’s channel improvement project wrapped up in 1978, nine years after the “Great Flood.” Lake Darling Dam improvement concluded in 1977, less than a year after Lake Darling reached what was then its all-time record crest. Rafferty Dam construction was completed in 1991 and Alameda in 1995. The combination of projects was believed to be able to protect Minot from future “100 year” floods originating in the approximate 10,600 square miles of Souris River drainage above the city.

Much of the diking within the city in the late ’70s was said to protect against a Souris River flow of 7,700 cubic feet per second. However, there were several areas in the city where protection was much less and that would require additional diking material, sandbags or otherwise, to match protection elsewhere along the river. Actual floodstage, measured at Minot’s Broadway Bridge, would be reached at 5,200 cfs.

When the Souris flooded Minot in 1969, peak flows reached about 10,500 cfs. A new standard for misery along the Souris was reached in 2011 when flows near 30,000 cfs were recorded, making the ’69 flood appear as a big puddle in comparison. The high water severely impacted an estimated 4,800 structures in Ward County alone, including more than 4,000 homes. More than 11,000 people were displaced. In the aftermath the debate began once again about how to contain the Souris in the years ahead.

Currently a multi-phase, multi-million dollar flood control project is underway in Minot. Completion is many years away, provided funding for a majority of the project can be secured. There have been numerous suggestions on how to proceed with additional flood control, some aimed at making the Souris River more accessible and community friendly.

Today there are “danger” signs posted at various points along the river, warning people to stay away. Concrete coffer dams installed during channel improvement following the 1969 flood rank among the most dangerous structures ever placed in a river. Water that flows over coffer dams creates a tugging undertow that can easily drown the strongest of swimmers, even those wearing personal flotation devices.

What might the Souris look like in the future? The Friends of the Souris River would like to see the river become much more friendly and useful than it is today.

The “Friends” say they would like to change life-threatening danger zones and huge areas of algae- and trash-infested water into a useable and likeable river. Dead loops that have become collection points for assorted garbage and thick algae growth would be revitalized. Their goal is to make the Souris throughout the city a navigable river that could be enjoyed by many rather than shunned by all.

“There isn’t a single place to even carry a canoe down to the river without breaking an ankle somewhere. That’s tragic,” said Shannon Straight, Ward 1 alderman.

Straight is a founding member of the Friends of the Souris River, a fledgling group organized earlier this year for the purpose of beginning communication about river enhancement. Their mission statement reads: “Redesign the gate structures to our dead loops to restore natural current, dredge original channels and clean the decades of sediment deposit, reconfigure the cofferdams and manage the system as it was originally intended. It can all be done without jeopardizing flood protection.”

The restoration plan has the stamp of approval of engineers familiar with the Souris River. The vision is that the Souris would become a benefit to the community by allowing recreation on the river and increasing the value of riverfront properties that are currently tagged as flood prone.

“In every other part of the world, waterfront is an asset. It’s an added value,” said Josh Wolsky with Friends of the Souris River. “We are not re-inventing anything. Rivers are valuable resources. You can capitalize on them and not live in fear of them all the time. It’s a reality we can achieve.”

To do so would involve extensive work on aging dead loops, most of which no longer function as initially intended. In addition, the dead loops are a community eyesore and, in some cases, health hazards. The Friends of the Souris River envision canoes and kayaks traversing through what are now dead loops, bringing the Souris alive for citizens wishing to recreate on the water. Existing coffer dams would be re-worked to replace dangerous currents with a friendly, flowing rapids effect.

“The dead loops haven’t been managed the way they were intended and we have some design flaws,” said Wolsky. “All over the country there is a movement to get rivers back to their natural state. The loops are actual gorgeous river channel. We envision launching a boat at 16th Street by the Water Treatment Plant and going all the way to Roosevelt Park without coming out of the water.”

“It can be beneficial,” added Straight. “We’re not going to please everybody. I do think there’s a lot of people coming around to the idea.”

Both Straight and Wolsky emphasized that flood protection for the city remains a higher priority than a river enhancement project, but they say the best time to address the possibilities is while flood protection planning is underway because there are some potential compatibility aspects that would likely result in cost savings.

“We’re excited about the dead loop plan. We’re getting out and talking about this. It seems like a good solution to a problem that’s been here for a long time,” concluded Wolsky.