March 2020 • Nebraskaland 31
were hurt," said Jim Douglas, director
of Game and Parks. "Our staff worked
long hours in dangerous conditions to
evacuate several communities, staff
worked hard to put affected properties
back together, and hundreds of
volunteers turned out to help clean
up debris. We moved quickly to
repair roads and other infrastructure,
and upgraded electrical pedestals
at several campgrounds. Our staff
responded with agility and ingenuity,
while keeping an eye on the future.
"This response reinforced a few
things that have long been evident
to me: our staff cares deeply about
the resources we manage, the public
cherishes our state's parks and other
outdoor resources, and Nebraskans,
by and large, value the Commission's
work."
Parks
When rain began to fall on melting
snow in early March, water that
rushed into the frozen Niobrara River
broke up ice that was up to two feet
thick and sent it downstream. The
pressure of the increased flows and ice
proved more than Spencer Dam, built
in 1927, could handle.
When the dam breached on March
14, it unleashed a 10 to 15 foot wall
of ice and water. Below the dam, the
Straw Bale Saloon and a campground
were erased, and the saloon's owner,
Kenny Angel, killed. Spencer Dam
WMA, an area managed by Game
and Parks and popular among catfish
anglers, was scoured by flows, and the
Highway 281 bridge washed out. As it
continued to the Missouri River, the
ice and water wiped out more bridges,
businesses, homes and farms. South of
Verdel, a river gauge measured flows
at 123,000 cubic feet per second where
flows are normally 2,000 cfs.
One of those bridges was located
about 35 miles downriver on
Highway 12 at Niobrara, where the
river crested nearly 7 feet above
previous record. Videos posted on
social media of the 450-foot span of
concrete and steel floating away on a
river of ice illustrated the power of the
flooding that was already happening,
or soon would be, across eastern
Nebraska.
A mile downriver, a historic steel
railroad bridge that now served as a
link on a popular trail running from
Niobrara State Park to the village of
Niobrara was swept away, as were
other bridges and sections of trail. Due
A deluge of water and ice washed out Spencer Dam on the Niobrara River in Boyd County March 14.
