Deluge and Determination: The Great Flood of 1951 and K-State’s Response to Historic Disaster
In the summer of 1951, after months of historic rainfall, the Kansas River crested and flooded
over a million acres of land in northeast Kansas. One of the most affected areas was Manhattan, sitting at the intersection of the Kansas and Big Blue Rivers. The flooding was so dramatic that there are few official accurate readings, as waters rose above the official flood gauges throughout
the region.
Campus Responds
Throughout May and June, overflowed rainfall in Manhattan measured at 21/38 inches, more than 60% of the annual average. As floods became a regular event, those who were disaster- minded listened for the Kansas State Agricultural College whistle to signal an evacuation, and older residents told tales of the flood of 1903. Within the first two week of July the Kansas River reached 33 feet, outpacing the 1903 flood. Overnight between the 12 th and 13 th of July downtown Manhattan and its residents found themselves in water 8 to 10 feet deep with some 200 blocks under water.
Thousands of residents were forced to evacuate, while hundreds of others found themselves stuck on second stories and rooftops. K-State campus quickly transformed into flood headquarters as rescue efforts began. K-State buildings became home to 1,800 of the 6,000 residents left homeless but the flood, with 1,000 others sheltering in the homes of faculty and staff. Offices for vital city services moved into the Student Union. Radios stations set up 24-hour operations in the Union. With phones down, radios became the only form of communication, vital to procure 17,000 typhoid vaccines and keep the region updated.
Some 25,000 meals were served to evacuees and workers during the emergency. Workers in the cafeteria boiled some 250-300 gallons of water a day to address contamination. The college power plant supplied electricity after local sub-stations were flooded.
K-State President McCain declared his ambition to use the college’s land-grant mission to provide educational programs to residents on flood control. Some of these measures, including levees and reservoirs throughout Kansas, are credited with preventing widespread damage during the Great Flood of 1993.
Kansas State University
The subject of the Great Flood of 1951 and the subsequent flood control and evacuation efforts in Manhattan, Kansas was chosen for the Kansas State University portion of the traveling exhibit and resulted from the project team’s collaboration with Daniel Ireton (Associate Professor, Academic Services Librarian, Hale Library, Kansas State University).
Kansas State University was the fourth stop for the exhibit which was on display from March 2023 through May 2023, with hosting duties followed by Columbia University in New York City.
