Casper, Wyoming Residents Remember Flood Of 1962

Back in 1962 floodwaters filled downtown Casper, Wyoming to the point that a couple of young boys were able to float through the middle of town on a blowup raft.

The Facebook page Early History of the Cowboy State posted the photo you can see below. It brought some interesting comments from people who are old enough now, and were young enough then, to remember the event.

Folks responding to the post say they remember the old hardware store where the raft came from. You can see it in the photo with the letter "E" missing from the sign.

They even know who the two boys in the raft are. You can read those comments below.

Downtown Casper sits right along the Platte River.

During a heavy rain downwash can come cascading directly down from Casper Mountain.

In later years the city has worked to direct floodwaters away from vital areas.

Harsh weather has always been with us and always will be.

We just need to build in preparation for it.

Below are some comments left on the Facebook post from folks who were there for this flooding event.

Those like John, who say that they remember the event, must be in their late 60s to 70s by now.

They even remember who was on the raft and where they got the raft from.

The city of Casper has worked on several stormwater management plans since then.

Flooding like this is usually less about natural events and more about people building in such a way that water has no place to go when there is a big rain event.

Many cities have noticed this problem over the years and worked to correct water flow during heavy rain events.