Flood of 1978 Walk
On September 26, about 45 Rochester neighbors participated in the Flood of 1978 Walk, led by Phil and Sue Wheeler of Southeast Rochester.
Two years ago, in honor the twenty-fifth anniversary of the Rochester flood, the Wheelers joined forces with other Rochester folks to write the RNeighbors book Flood of Memories, Memories of Flood. The book is crammed with photos, maps, and personal stories from the Flood of 1978. Phil created all of the maps and scanned and catalogued the hundreds of photos in this publication. Sue conducted interviews, transcribed stories from the videotape of a Southeast Settlers neighborhood event, and served as an editor and proofreader.
This NeighborWalks was highlighted by a perfect fall evening. The group, consisting of several Rochester neighbors who had lived through the flood of 1978, walked from Riverside Central Elementary and headed to Mayo Park. Along the way, Phil told stories from the book and referenced to photos taken during the flood. The Rochester Flood Control Project was explained, including details about how the Zumbo River was dug deeper and widened and seven dams were built throughout Rochester. Below you can see the map of the walk route and corresponding photos taken during the flood.
The group then walked back to Riverside Elementary where some lucky participants won great door prizes (donated by local businesses and organizations) including several of the Flood of Memories, Memories of Flood books. Photos from this flood book can be found on the City of Rochester website. Picture #11 shows where the government center now is located, use to be shops and a neighborhood.
The subject of the next NeighborWalks, on October 3, is NeighborWoods Tree Discovery. City Forester, Jake Ryg and Jay Maier of Maier Forest & Tree will share their knowledge of trees and show off some of the fall colors in South East Rochester. They’ll also give details about the upcoming NeighborWoods Citizen Forester class and Community Planting. Keep counting your steps and we’ll see you Tuesdays, at 6:30 pm, at Riverside Elementary!
