My Grandmother used to tell me about a time when the Lyman Dam, holding back the Lyman Reservoir in eastern Arizona broke and sent a raging wall of water downstream to flood the small town of St. Johns on April 15, 1915.
She always remembered seeing one of the unfortunate victims of the flood who drowned and Grandmother always commented on how much mud there was in her hair.
The photo above shows the Lyman Dam under construction in 1918 and 1919, one of a series of dams built on the site. The Lake is now a State Park which first opened in July of 1961. Quoting from the State Park website:
Lyman Lake State Park is located in northeastern Arizona along the Little Colorado River in Apache County between St. Johns and Springerville just off of US 191. This 1500 maximum surface acre lake is an irrigation district reservoir that can experience a considerable annual draw down for irrigation purposes. The lake is a popular fishing spot and is stocked by the Arizona Game and Fish Department. When the surface acreage is large enough, water sports activities are very popular. The lake is located at an approximate elevation of 6,000 feet and is close to the White Mountains.
My grandmother told me her story. She was one of the survivors of the Ray family (4 yr. old Lily Ray) and remembered the story well.
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