HISTORICAL NEWS SEARCH - Government of British Columbia

During the spring, high water caused logjams to form against the PGE bridge across the Parsnip River,
partially damaging the structure.
April 10, 1965
Event type: Mudslide.
Precipitation: Not applicable.
Source: The Vancouver Sun, April 12, 1965; Quesnel Cariboo Observer, April 15, 1965.
On April 10 at 7 a.m., a mudslide near Quesnel blocked the PGE line. “Tons of water-loosened earth” oozed
down over the PGE line 300 yd. (270 m) north of the Weldwood of Canada plant. “Massive earth breaks” occurred. Fir
trees that were toppled in the slide were close to 30 in. (75 cm) in diameter. The tracks were submerged under mud
more than 20 ft. (6 m) deep. By midnight on April 11, the 800 ft. (240 m) of track that had been ripped out had been
replaced. Normal service resumed on April 12. The slide also cut the powerline to the Weldwood of Canada plant
south of town.
April 23- May 2, 1965
Event type: Spring runoff flooding.
Precipitation: Not applicable.
Source: The Quesnel Cariboo Observer, April 29; May 6, 1965; The Province, April 29 and 30; May 1 and 3, 1965.
At the end of April, a sudden warm spell caused river levels to rise rapidly. Around April 24-25,
temperatures in the 70s o F (21-26 o C) brought sudden runoff of low level snow. Five-day flooding raised the level of
Williams Lake to a record high. Its waters were eating away at the hastily built dikes around the village pump house.
According to Village chairman Herb Gardner, it was the “worst flooding” he had seen in his 25-years in Williams
Lake. Around April 29, some sections were without telephone service and radio station CKLW had been off the air for
three days
Floodwaters from several creeks and streams threatened to contaminate the Williams Lake water supply. One
section of the town’s two-stage sewage lagoon closed after the swollen Williams Lake creek washed away a dike.
Williams Lake, almost 6 ft. (1.8 m) higher than at the normal springtime breakup flooded several lakefront houses and
washed out sections of the PGE roadbed. Trains were rerouted over alternate tracks.
Two creeks caused a major washout forcing the closure of Highway 97 between Williams Lake-Quesnel for
1.5 days. On April 30, the highway reopened but Highway 15 to Likely and the old Soda Creek Highway were still
closed. About 3:30 p.m. on April 26, crews lost a two-day battle against the swollen waters of Deep Creek, an “old
trouble spot” where the highway had been threatened several times previously. After a Bailey bridge was installed,
traffic resumed about 10:30 p.m. on April 27. But north-south traffic had then been halted for 17 hours. After the initial
break on Highway 97, about 15 mi. (24 km) north of Williams Lake, traffic was routed onto the old highway between
Williams Lake-Soda Creek. This link was cut about 5 a.m. on April 27 when a heavy transport truck crashed through
the old wooden bridge that crossed Deep Creek several miles west of the original highway break.
On April 28, Australian Creek was running wild and threatened the bridge on the old highway at the Yorston
ranch. Considerable damage was done at the ranch feedlot as well. Highways crews maintained a 24-hour watch and
dumped fill to protect both the old bridge and the large culverts that carry the creek under the new highway.
Late on April 28, Baker Creek caused bank erosion and slides near Quesnel. Since on April 24-25 riprap at
the foot of the hill had been swept away, erosion continued. Along a 1-mi. (1.6 km) stretch, there were four separate
damage areas, three of which occurred at sharp bends in the creekbed. Most serious was the big slide area near the
north end of Hutchcroft Street. In the course of four days, more than 1 ac. (0.4 ha) of ground across a face 60 ft. (18 m)
deep disappeared there, with 0.5 ac. (0.2 ha) being swept away on April 29 in a period of 12 hours. On that day, in a
few hours the creek swept away more than 400 truckloads of fill. Serious erosion occurred at the high cutbank area
near the corner of Hilborn Avenue and Hutchcroft Street where tons of silt were ripped out by the rampaging creek.
Shortly before 5 a.m. on April 29, another huge section collapsed carrying with it a workshop and a children’s
playhouse on the Gordon McKay property. The McKay residence was also threatened of being undermined.
Early on April 29, debris lodged against the Baker Creek bridge caused floodwaters to deflect and erode the
south bank of the creek. To provide clear passage trees on the east bank of the creek were dropped into the creek.
The continuing erosion threatened the sewer lines at that point and the No. 1 and No. 2 town well sites
located some distance above the slide area. The slide also threatened BC Hydro and BC Telephone lines. Telephone
crews had to move lines threatened by the heavy runoff. After one power pole was lost, temporary service had to be
hooked up to several residences left without power. Civic crews were ordered into the Slaughterhouse Hill area with
sandbags. House movers were attempting to haul several homes to firmer ground. At noon on April 29, the Baker
Creek bridge was closed for almost two hours after a log jammed and the west approaches were swept away. It was
later reopened after tons of rock and fill were dumped into the creek and the logjam cleared. Later a bulldozer was used
to deepen the creek channel at the bridge site to eliminate the possibility of further jams. On May 5, repairs to the
highway at the bridge approach were completed.
The creek continued to rise on April 30, threatening to “sweep away at least one block of homes.” The creek
had already washed away a garage and eroded large sections of its banks through the town. As all along the creek
91