There is a historical record about the Mendenhall river and the annual release from Suicide basin that began prior to the recorded releases beginning in 2011. For those that aren’t aware of all the earlier history this information may be useful as we contemplate how to mitigate future events. Much of this information was acquired from residents that have lived on or near the river since the 1960’s, the Army Corp of Engineers, Fish & Game, and those that actually worked on river projects such as the International Union of Operating Engineers. As a resident in the newer section of Killewich Drive, and on the river since 1996, I’ve experienced all the flooding events since then like many of you, but was unaware of past floods or the history of the Juneau Valley

The story begins with two homesteads on the Mendenhall River and the flood of 1963 (similar flood in 1943, and 1910). The Hobbs family owned 130 plus acres on the Valley side extending from Long Run Drive north to the new condominiums along Riverside, and the McNary family owned 160 acres across the river from the Hobbs family. Both families built homes to meet requirements for retaining their homesteads. The Hobbs built on the other side of Riverside, and the McNary’s built on the river. A “swinging” bridge was built to connect both parcels. Following the flood of 1963 which took out the river house, the bridge, and subsequently covered much of the valley with up to two feet of water, the McNary’s built a new A frame house across from the end of Marion Drive as well as a new swinging bridge. The bridge proved to be fatal to the younger son of the Hobbs family and played a role in the McNary’s selling to the Kaiser family. The Hobbs ultimately deeded Melvin Park to the City in memory of their son. With the flood came extensive erosion especially at the corner of Riverside and Killewich. Following the advice of engineers, and to mitigate future floods, extensive removal of the gravel bar that is still present today began. The ultimate objective was to straighten the river and remove any gravel that impeded flow. Also, sometime prior to 1971, as stated in the 1971 Army Corp of Engineers report, over two hundred old cars were used as rip rap to prevent further erosion at the bend of the river.