Lately it’s been raining a lot here. Every day we have some form of rain. In some parts of the country that’s normal. But here in Kansas, that’s not normal. Usually we have temps approaching the 90’s in May, but this year, it hasn’t reached the mid-80’s yet. Like the photos I have for you today, it’s been gray. For those days when we have some sun, you run outside and soak up every spare sun-ray you can, because you know the rain’s a comin.

Normal water depth of The Illinois River in Beardstown, Illinois is 9.2 feet. Now that doesn’t seem like much, but it’s enough to get barges up and down the river. The Illinois River has seasons just like many things in life. It has flood seasons and low water seasons. Both of these can have an adverse effect on the town.

They started keeping track of the river levels in Beardstown during floods in 1844. When I found that I wanted to see when it flooded the year that Bill Sr. and Regina divorced. Their divorce was final by 1923. In April of 1922 there was a flood in which the river depth got to 25.10 feet! That’s quite a difference from the normal depth of 9.2 feet. I’m sure the residents of Beardstown felt a bit like I do when the rain kept coming.

The devastation that can come with any act of nature can seem senseless. Things that should have lasted years can be smashed at nature’s whimsy. Today, there’s a big flood gate that greets you when you arrive in Beardstown. Designed to hold out flood waters and keep residences and businesses near the river safe. Hopefully never again to have the devastation that occurred every year during those flood seasons on the river.