1950 — June 24-25, heavy rain, flash flooding, Central WV, esp. Smithsburg area (22)–34-35

Compiled by Wayne Blanchard, 8-26-2023, for upload to: http://www.usdeadlyevents.com/

— ~36 WV Div Culture, History. WV Archives. “On This Day in WV History…” [June 24-25, 1950]
–34-35 Kite, J.S. in Charleston Gazette-Mail (Steelhammer), WV. “WV’s past…” 6-38-2021.
–34-35 Blanchard estimated death toll. Could not find newspaper source in 1950 noting more
than 33 deaths. Our listing, however, if correct, totals 34. View Kite as a reliable source
noting 33-35, and WV Div. of Culture and History notes “about 36” deaths and we view
34-35 as within bounds of “about 36.”
–31-35 Kite, J.S. “Deadliest Floods in West Virginia History, Ranked by Fatalities.” 8-17-2016.
— 34 Blanchard listing of fatalities, 22 in Doddridge County and 12 in Ritchie County.
(30 are named fatalities and four are unnamed in Ritchie County mortuaries.)
— 33 Charleston Daily Mail, WV. “Flooded Towns…Officials Indicate Death Toll of 33.” 6-27-1950, p13.
— 33 Charleston Gazette-Mail, WV. “Flood shares similarities to 1950s disaster.” 11-22-2017.
–20 Doddridge Couty (especially Smithsburg at 19).
— 33 Glenville Pathfinder, WV. “Worst Flash Flood in History Sweeps Troy…” 6-30-1950.
Doddridge County:
— 22 Smithton Depot Plaque: “In Remembrance of Those Who Lost Their Lives in the June 1950 Flood.”
— 22 Doddridge County. Doddridge County Heritage Guild, WV. “The Great Flood of 1950.”
–19 direct
— 3 “…perished due to circumstances surrounding the flood.”

Narrative Information

Charleston Gazette-Mail (Haight) WV. “Flood shares similarities to 1950s disaster.” 11-22-2017:

“The flooded west end of Salem [refers to photo from WV State Archives] was part of the disaster that struck on June 24, 1950, and left 33 people dead and hundreds of homes destroyed…. On that date…flash flooding occurred in the northern part of the state and left 33 people dead and hundreds of homes destroyed. The historic storm affected six counties decades ago: Doddridge, Upshur, Lewis, Ritchie, Harrison and Gilmer, where thousands of people were displaced and hundreds of homes destroyed.

“….Samuel McKinney of Smithburg watched as his wife and children were carried away by ravaging flood waters while he stood watching, helpless on a hill. His wife and four children were at a neighbor’s house with 15 people inside, when the house was swept away by flood waters and carried several miles down Middle Island Creek until it finally crashed into a railroad bridge. The majority of the 20 people who died in Doddridge County were inside that house.

“In Lewis County, Weston had 5 feet of water in its streets after receiving 4.62 inches of rain. The city saw more than $2 million in damages….”

Charleston Gazette-Mail (Steelhammer), WV. “WV’s past steeped in…floodwaters…” 6-28-2021:

“In 1950, torrential rain hammered the countryside in Ritchie, Doddridge, Gilmer and Lewis counties with more than 14 inches falling June 24-26, causing flash floods in the West Fork, Hughes and Little Kanawha rivers, and their tributaries, that killed 34 to 35 people, according to Kite. [Professor emeritus and former chairman of West Virginia’s Department of Geography and Geology.].” (Charleston Gazette-Mail (Rick Steelhammer), WV. “WV’s past steeped in lethal floodwaters; more frequent events expected in future.” 6-26-2021, updated 6-28-2021.)

Doddridge County Heritage Guild, WV. “The Great Flood of 1950.” :

“Imagine waking up to airplanes flying overhead, the stench of oil, mud, gas, fish and stormwater filling your nostrils, train tracks ripped from their rail bed, cars overturned and strewn about like toys, houses washed from their foundations, twisted metal and splintered remains of homes lying everywhere, and a thick coat of mud covering everything in sight. But even worse than that, imagine the sounds of a grieving community as they learn that 19 of their neighbors had been swallowed-up by the Middle Island Creek during the night and that three others had perished due to circumstances surrounding the flood. This was the scene that Doddridge Countians awoke to on June 25, 1950. This was the reality of the Great Flood of 1950.

“Saturday, June 24, 1950 was a gorgeous hot summer day….Until about 6:30, when the rain began to fall. By 8 p.m. the swollen Middle Island Creek had already overflowed its banks, and by 10 p.m. telephone service and electricity were lost. Residents in Smithburg and surrounding communities were gathering on the second floor of their homes or fleeing to the relative safety of the surrounding hills to get away from the rapidly rising water. By midnight several families were trapped in their homes and forced to seek refuge on their roofs. The churning Middle Island Creek was ramping up for the biggest natural disaster Doddridge County had ever seen.
….
“At about 10 p.m. Gib Davis and Jim Chapman knocked on the door at Bill Cooper’s house and told Bill that he needed to get his family out of the house. Bill said that he, his wife Vevie, and his five children, Phil, Roger ‘Jake,’ Karen, Linda and Nelda, were busy moving furniture to safety and that they would go ahead and ride the storm out at home. Then Gib, Boze and Jim Chapman went to the Vanscoy house and helped Clifford Vanscoy get his parents across the road to Ed Tate’s house.

“After William and Louella Gay Vanscoy were taken to safety, the three men moved on to the Bailey house, where fifteen people had gathered. Clive and Mildred Bailey and their son Charles lived there. Charles was home from WVU for the summer. Clive and Mildred’s daughter, Catherine, was there with her husband Kenneth Simms and their children, Linda and Charlotte. Samuel and Audra Loraine McKinney with their children, Naomi, Samuel, Margie Sue and Jo Ann were there because they thought they would be safe in the large two-story Bailey home. Bill and Minnie Rothwell had gone there for the same reason.

“Sam McKinney, thinking his family was safe at the Bailey house, went back out into the torrential rain to warn neighbors of the rising water.

“Shortly after Sam McKinney left his family at the Bailey house, the water continued to rise so quickly that the house was soon enveloped in water. Sam couldn’t swim, so Gib Davis, Gerald Chedester and Jim Chapman took Bill Rothwell’s aluminum boat to the Bailey house to rescue the occupants. However, the boat capsized before they could reach them. Gerald and Jim made it to safety, and Gib swam towards the Bailey house. After much effort he was able to enter the house through the kitchen door. The water was waist-deep in the house. Through a window in the Bailey home, Gib Davis watched his own house rise off its foundation and float downstream. Then he watched the Vanscoy house…float by. Next, the house he was in rose off its foundation, made a quarter turn and lodged against a cement garage which was built against the hill. That was when Gib saw the Cooper house floating right toward him. Fortunately the current altered its course and the two houses did not collide. As the Cooper house floated by, Gib could see those inside trying to knock weather boarding out of the gable end.

“The house Gib was in, the Bailey house, once again started drifting downstream. Below the Smithton Depot, the house hit a giant elm tree and rested there for a short time. The jolt caused Charles Bailey to fall into the churning water. Charles, who was able to dog paddle just enough to stay afloat, washed up against the railroad bridge, where he was pinned in the debris until almost noon the next day.

“Gib Davis then decided it was time to leave the house, so he took his clothes off so they wouldn’t get caught on anything and jumped into the raging Middle Island Creek. Swimming as fast as he could in the swift current, he slowly made progress toward the shore, but when he felt his fingers brush something, he latched onto it. It turned out to be a boxcar that had stalled as soon as it exited the railroad tunnel just west of the depot. When he climbed the ladder to the top of the train, only 18 inches of the boxcar remained above water. He walked along the tops of the boxcars until he got to the engine, which was almost to the depot. There was no water in the cab, so he crawled near the boiler and spent the rest of the night there. In the morning, his son Boze threw a rope out to him and he swam to shore.

“Fate of the Cooper and Bailey Houses

“Both the Bailey house and Cooper house suffered the same fate. The houses were smashed to bits when they collided with the railroad bridge. Those inside the houses were either fatally injured by the impact or they drowned. Charles Bailey was the only person who made it out of the Bailey house alive and Phil Cooper was the only one who made it out of the Cooper house alive….

“The reason Smithburg was so devastated by this sudden cloudburst was because the entire community lies in one of the narrowest valleys along the path of the Middle Island Creek. An unprecedented amount of water was very quickly forced through this narrow valley. The water was not only deep, but extremely violent. Locals said it sounded like all hell had broken loose.

“Other Deaths Besides Drowning: Floodwater was not the only cause of death that night. Abraham and Icy Williams were at home in their bed on Rock Run when they were overcome by toxic fumes. The tremendous force of the water caused many gas and oil wells to break open, sending massive amounts of gas and oil into the floodwater. Abraham and Icy were found the next morning lying in bed, still holding each other in their arms.

“Hugh Waldo of Greenwood, although he did not drown, is considered to be a victim of the flood. According to newspaper accounts, he died of a heart attack while trying to get his truck out of the path of rising water. His death record states that he died from cardiac degeneration resulting from overexertion….

“This was a major national news event that received extensive coverage in the press….

“’Most of the missing at Smithburg lived in a row of seven framed houses situated 20 feet from the creek. ‘It came at us like a tidal wave,’ one resident reported. Residents of another 15 homes escaped before they were swept away.’….

Kite, J. S. “Deadliest Floods in West Virginia History, Ranked by Fatalities.” 8-17-2016:

Date(s) Locations Description Fatalities WV Damage (adjusted to 2015 $)
24-26 West Fork, Hughes & Torrential rains 31-35 >$10,000,000
Jun Little Kanawha Rivers & flash floods; 1000 families (>$98,000,000)
1950 Middle Island & 175 to 200 mm homeless 123 homes destroyed
Leading Crk., Beria, in 5 hr.; >350 1,292 damaged
West Union, Weston, mm total rainfall
Smithsburg, Doddridge
& Ritchie Co.

Kite: “References Cited (for 1950 flood:
Charleston Gazette, 1950a, 28 June 1950, p. 11.
Charleston Gazette, 1950v, 29 June 1950, p. 1.
Gilchrist, Joy L. Gregoire, 1997? (date not printed); They Started It All: A Guide to Hackers
Creek Historic Sites, Alum Bridge, W. Va., 53 p.
Hoyt, William G. and Walter B Langbein, 1955, Floods, Princeton, NJ: Princeton U. Press, 469p.
Ruffner, James A. and Frank E. Bair, 1981, The Weather Almanac: Gale Research Co., 801 p.
Wells, J.V.B., 1954, Summary of floods in the United States during 1950: U.S. Geological Survey Water Supply Paper 1137-I, p. 957-991; PDF file viewed 17 July 2016 at URL:
http://pubs.usgs.gov/wsp/1137i/report.pdf.

Memorial Plaque at Smithton Depot in Smithsburg, WV, naming 22 flood victims:

“In Remembrance Of Those Who Lost Their Lives In The June 1950 Flood

Clive Bailey 54 Audra Loraine McKinney 33 Catherine Simms 24
Mildred Bailey 49 Naomi L. Mc Kinney 11 Linda Carol Simms 17 mo.
B. J. Cooper 45 Samuel Lennie McKinney 8 Charlotte Ann Simms 5 mo.
Vivie Cooper 45 Margie Sue McKinney 5 Hugh Waldo 63
Roger Cooper 15 Jo Ann McKinney 2 Abraham W. Williams 60
Karen Cooper 12 William Ranson Rothwell 62 Crystal White Williams 52
Linda Cooper 7 Minnie May Rothwell 51
Nelda Cooper 3 Kenneth Simms 24

United States Geological Survey. Summary of Floods in the United States During 1950:

“West Virginia

“A flash flood during the night of June 24-25 in Middle Island Creek, West Fork, Hughes, and Little Kanawha River basins caused excessive damage. A-“bucket survey” of precipitation made shortly after the flood, showed amounts higher than 14 inches in some local areas. The flood peaks occurred at night within a few hours after the intense rain. Thirty-one persons lost their lives, 123 homes were destroyed, and 1,292 homes were damaged, according to available information. Damage to farm crops, buildings, highway bridges, railroad and business property, and public utilities was estimated by the U. S. Weather Bureau to be in excess of $10 million. At several points peak stages or discharges exceeded the previous maxima of record… Peak stage at Weston, on West Fork River, was 25. 85 feet as compared with 22. 5 feet in July 1888, the highest previously known.”

West Virginia Division of Culture and History: “On June 24 and June 25, 1950, flash flooding in a 6-county area of central West Virginia killed almost 3 dozen people..” (WV Div Culture, History. WV Archives. “On This Day in WV History…[June 24-25, 1950].”)

1950 Newspapers

June 25, AP: “West Union, June 25 – (AP) – Seventeen persons were drowned and 25 others were reported missing tonight after a cloudburst sent flood waters up to 35-feet deep lapping over a six-county area. The unprecedented rains washed out sections of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad’s mainline track through the flood area. Damage ran into the millions.

“A unique fire threatened a portion of the small city of Weston, in Lewis County, when the high water ruptured a gasoline storage tank and 10,000 gallons of the fuel caught fire. The danger was dissipated by the swift flood current. A new barn was destroyed by the blaze.

“Whole towns were isolated. AA National Guard official estimated that 90 per cent of the village of Berea in Ritchie County, where clustered 14 to 16 homes, had been swept away. State Police reported 200 homes destroyed at West Union alone. Weston’s flood damage was reckoned at $2,000,000 by town officials….

“The dead, as compiled from state police reports and checks of mortuaries in the area:

Doddridge county:

Mrs. Lorraine McKinney and her daughter, Marjorie Sue McKinney, 5, of Smithsburg.
Mr. and Mrs. Abe Williams of Rock Run, near West Union.
Mrs. Minnie May Rothwell of Smithsburg.
Mrs. Arch Bailey of Kincheloe Creek.
B. J. Cooper, Vivie Cooper, Linda, Karen, Rodger and Nelda Cooper, all members of one
family at Smithsburg.

Ritchie county:

Wilbur Brake, Jr. believed to have resided at Berea.
Sherman Moore, 75, of Harrisville.
Wilma Gribble, 72; Mrs. Clark Bee, 70, and Miss Delsi Koontz, 55, all of Berea.
Bodies of four others were reported at mortuaries in Jane Lew and Salem.

“….Three of the victims died in the flooded creek waters at Smithburg, five miles from Weston, when their home was pounded to pieces against a railway trestle.

“Other bodies were discovered in the receding waters of the South Fork of Hughes River in Ritchie County. Lt. Col. Rene Smith, commanding officer of the 1092nd Engineer Battalion of the West Virginia National Guard at Parkersburg, said three bodies had been recovered at Berea and a fourth located. Seven persons were reported missing there. Smith reported that 90 per cent of the houses in the village of Berea (pop. 100) had been washed away.

“At least 200 homes were destroyed in the town of West Union.

“Colonel Smith said both rowboats and powerboats had been sent into the Ritchie County area by his battalion. He told of Capt. Herbert Williams and two civilians setting out upstream in a powerboat from Cairo to explore the situation in the vicinity of Cornwell. The boat capsized when it struck a hidden cable. The captain and one of the civilians made it to shore, but the other civilian swam after the boat. They saw the swimmer overtake the boat and grab hole of it, then both boat and man were lost to view. Colonel Smith said it was entirely possible the man had managed to save himself.

“National Guard officials said the high water reached 35 feet at both Cairo and Berea. Emergency food and water supplies were brought into the stricken from Parkersburg. Early tonight, the high water was reported receding fast.

“State Trooper G. S. Knight said at least 16 other persons were missing at the little community of Smithsburg, a rural community of 300 inhabitants.

“Sheriff H. A. Britton of Ritchie County informed state police that had been ‘several drownings’ in his area.

“Knight said at least 200 homes were swept away by the swollen waters of Middle Island Creek, and at least 1,000 persons were homeless in West Union. Knight said the phenomenal rainfall began about 8 p.m. (EST) last night and that West Union residents had ample warning by flood conditions created by swollen Doe Run, which empties into Middle Island Creek in this community. The rain lasted until about 3 a.m. The water reached a height of 35 feet in this town.

“Along with the battered houses sent crunching and scraping on the crest of the flood waters was one of West Virginia’s oldest landmarks, a ‘covered bridge.’ The roofed structure dated its history back to the early 1800’s.” (Associated Press. “Flood Waters Rise to Depths of 35 Feet In Wake Of State Cloudburst.” Beckley Post-Herald, Beckley, WV, 6-26-1950, p. 1.)

June 30: “The worst flash flood on record swept across parts of Gilmer and nine other central state counties Saturday night and Sunday morning and took the lives of some thirty-three persons, twenty-seven of whom were reported recovered by Wednesday morning.

“Here in Gilmer County the storm swept through the northeast end of Gilmer County and surging waters from Fink and Leading creeks rolled down through Troy and swept everything in its path. Only seven of the some thirty-five homes in that community escaped the flood ravage.

“The Little Kanawha River in Glenville reached a crest of 31.1 late Sunday afternoon and flooded Main Street to a depth of four feet. All Lower Main Street business places were flooded….

“Rainfall locally was 2.03 inches between 7 p.m. Saturday and 4 a.m. Sunday. Most persons arose here Sunday unaware that a flood was coming Water from flooded Sand Fork and Burnsville rolled in here Sunday and was held back from the torrent pouring into the river from Leading Creek. At one time the river rose more than two feet an hour. All lowland between Glenville and Burnsville was cleaned of crops, hay and garden plants.

“Rainfall in the Leading Creek valley was estimated from 7 to 8 inches and swept down that country so quickly that residents had only time enough to get out of bed and rush to the hills. Bulk of the storm hit there shortly after 11 p.m.

“Haystacks, henhouses, hogs and most everything else in the path of the raging torrent went down stream and the whole valley was a sorry sight as daylight came and people began to get a view of what had taken place in pitch darkness. Electric went off during the storm but Monongahela Power Co. had two crews of workers on the job Sunday and by noon service was restored.

“Biggest flood previously in Troy area was in 1888, but this one – the 1950 version – was estimated to be from seven to eight feet higher. Water swept two houses off their foundations, carried away barns, cribs, cellar houses and lifted the James Turner Store and turned it partly around….

“Elsewhere in this issue a survey of the Troy flood appears.

“Throughout the central state area the flash flood hit terrifically in Ritchie, Doddridge, Harrison, Lewis, Braxton, Upshur counties and left hundreds of people homeless….Weston was almost completely flooded….

“Gas was cut off in the Troy section and residents there up until Wednesday had no means of cooking. Volunteer groups set up a temporary kitchen in the IOOF Lodge Hall and have been feeding the population. Glenville and Tanner groups have been joining others in taking in food, clothing and other needed items. Water from Glenville for drinking purposes was taken there Sunday and on Wednesday this problem again had become acute. Wells have to be cleaned and treated before drinking water can be had.

“The American Red Cross was on the job this week and Miss Theresa White was sent there as a disaster relief worker from the national headquarters. All persons in the flood area are being urged to register losses either at Troy headquarters or at the Glenville headquarters….

“At West Union the flood picture was horrifying. As many as eight houses in one block along Middle Island Creek went down the raging torrent….

“The Red Cross sent a truck load of mattresses to Troy from Glenville. Cots were moved in there and in other centers to provide temporary sleeping facilities. Schools and other public buildings were pressed into use as havens for the homeless until other arrangements can be made.

“Salem, Berea, Harrisville, Smithfield and a half dozen other communities were hit by the flood. Ninety percent of the homes in the little Berea town were washed away and there is no end to the stories of horror that came about with the loss of some thirty-three lives. Men climbed trees and waited all night as the torrents swept by. As many as thirteen persons were drowned in one house in Doddridge County….

“At least one highway bridge was swept off its piers in Gilmer County when a barn full of hay landed against it after being washed from Troy community.

“Weston estimated damage there at $2,000,000. Gilmer County’s loss will be at least at $1,000,000, considering loss and damage to crops, homes, business, etc. There is no estimate of the tons and tons of hay that went down the Little Kanawha from Sand Fork, Leading Creek and other streams. All along the Little Kanawha from Glenville to Burnsville the loss was tremendous.

“The crest of the river at Glenville was about two feet short of a record of 33 feet in 1930….”
(Glenville Pathfinder, WV. “Worst Flash Flood in History Sweeps Troy…” 30 June 1950.)

Appendix: Named Fatalities (and four unnamed) From Sources Cited
Doddridge County, especially Smithsburg, also Rock Run, West Union
1. Clive Bailey 54 “ Drowned
2. Mildred Bailey 49 “ “
3. B. [Bill] J. Cooper 45 “ “
4. Vivie Cooper 45 “ “
5. Roger Cooper 15 “ “
6. Karen Cooper 12 “ “
7. Linda Cooper 7 “ “
8. Nelda Cooper 3 “ “
9. Audra Loraine McKinney 33 “ “
10. Naomi L. Mc Kinney 11 “ “
11. Samuel Lennie McKinney 8 “ “
12. Margie Sue McKinney 5 “ “
13. Jo Ann McKinney 2 “ “
14. William Ranson Rothwell 62 “ “
15. Minnie May Rothwell 51 “ “
16. Kenneth Simms 24 “ “ 27th body to be recovered.
17. Catherine J. [Bailey] Simms 24 “ “
18. Linda Carol Simms 17 mo. “ “
19. Charlotte Ann Simms 5 mo. “ “
20. Hugh Waldo 63 “ Heart attack moving truck away.
21. Abraham W. Williams 60 “ CO (gas leak from broken line)
22. Crystal “Icy” White Williams 52 “ “

Ritchie County
1. Mrs. Clara Bee, 70 Beria [Reported in one source as “about 60.”]
2. Wilbur Brake Jr. Beria
3. Mrs. Hobert Brake Beria.
4. William V. Gribble, 72 Beria [Reported also as William Dribble.]
5. Miss Delsi Koontz, 55 Beria
6. Lester Sullivan, 10 Beria
7. Wilda Sullivan, 8 Beria
8. Susan Moore, 75 Harrisville
9. Bodies of four others were reported at mortuaries in Jane Lew and Salem, Ritchie County.
10. Bodies of four others were reported at mortuaries in Jane Lew and Salem, Ritchie County.
11. Bodies of four others were reported at mortuaries in Jane Lew and Salem, Ritchie County.
12. Bodies of four others were reported at mortuaries in Jane Lew and Salem, Ritchie County.

Sources

Associated Press. “Debris Searched For Three Bodies.” The Charleston Daily Mail, WV, 6-29-1950, p. 4. Accessed 8-26-2023: https://newspaperarchive.com/charleston-daily-mail-jun-29-1950-p-4/

Associated Press. “Flood Waters Rise to Depths of 35 Feet In Wake Of State Cloudburst.” Beckley Post-Herald, Beckley, WV, 6-26-1950, p. 1. Accessed 8-26-2023 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/beckley-post-herald-jun-26-1950-p-1/

Associated Press. “Twenty-Nine Known Dead And Three Missing After West Virginia’s Flash Flood.” Beckley Post-Herald, WV. 6-27-1950, p. 1. Accessed 8-26-2023 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/post-herald-jun-27-1950-p-1/

Charleston Daily Mail, WV. “Flooded Towns Beg for Food. Officials Indicate Death Toll of 33. (continued from p.1.)” 6-27-1950, p. 13. Accessed 8-26-2023 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/charleston-daily-mail-jun-27-1950-p-13/

Charleston Gazette-Mail, WV (Laura Haight). “Flood shares similarities to 1950s disaster.” 7-2-2016, updated 11-22-2017. Accessed 8-25-2023 at: https://www.wvgazettemail.com/news/flood-shares-similarities-to-1950s-disaster/article_27638066-20ac-57c0-94ce-aff97967a419.html

Charleston Gazette-Mail (Rick Steelhammer), WV. “WV’s past steeped in lethal floodwaters; more frequent events expected in future.” 6-26-2021, updated 6-28-2021. Accessed 8-26-2023 at: https://www.wvgazettemail.com/news/wvs-past-steeped-in-lethal-floodwaters-more-frequent-events-expected-in-future/article_bc147ccb-3c8d-51e7-aaa8-1791f1dfc008.html

Doddridge County Heritage Guild, WV. “The Great Flood of 1950.” Accessed 8-25-2023 at: https://www.doddridgecountyheritageguild.com/1950-flood-1

Doddridgecountyroots.com. “William V. Gribble.” Died Jun-25-1950 in Berea, Ritchie Co., WV. Accessed 8-26-2023 at: https://www.doddridgecountyroots.com/bk6html/f17638.html

Glenville Pathfinder, WV. “Worst Flash Flood in History Sweeps Troy and Other Communities,” 30 June 1950. At: http://www.wvculture.org/history/disasters/flood195001.html

Kite, J. Steven (as of Aug 25, 2023, professor emeritus and former chairman of West Virginia’s Department of Geography and Geology). “Deadliest Floods in West Virginia History, Ranked by Fatalities.” West Virginia University, Geology & Geography. 8-17-2016. Accessed 8-25-2023 at: http://pages.geo.wvu.edu/~skite/DeadliestFloodsInWestVirginiaHistoryDRAFT.pdf

Ritchie Gazette, WV. “The Ritchie County Flood of 1950.” May 2008. Scanned by Mike Spiker at: https://www.spikerfamily.com/newspaper-box/the-ritchie-county-flood-of-1950/

Smithton Depot Plaque: “In Remembrance of Those Who Lost Their Lives in the June 1950 Flood.” Accessed 8-25-2023 at: https://www.doddridgecountyheritageguild.com/1950-flood-1

United States Geological Survey. Summary of Floods in the United States During 1950 (Geological Survey Water-Supply Paper 1137-I). Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1954. Accessed 8-26-2023 at: https://pubs.usgs.gov/wsp/1137i/report.pdf

West Virginia Division of Culture and History. West Virginia Archives & History. “On This Day in West Virginia History…[June 24-25, 1950].” Accessed at: http://www.wvculture.org/history/thisdayinwvhistory/0625.html