Plot

On May 30, 1889 the South Fork Dam, which maintained a pleasure lake for wealthy Pittsburgh industrialists and their families, failed due to very heavy rains and poor maintenance by the dam's owners. The burst dam sent a wall of water and debris, 40 feet high and half a mile wide, 14 miles downstream to the bustling industrial city of Johnstown, Pennsylvania. More than 2000 people lost their lives in the disaster. This documentary tells the story, and tells us that the disaster was easily avoidable.—Martin Lewison <MLewison@utk.edu>

Using archival film and photographs, this film recreates the history of the Johnstown flood which killed 2,200 people in 1889. From the development of the South Fork Hunting & Fishing Club on Lake Conemaugh to the assessment of the dam by members of the club and a concerned citizen of Johnstown to the disaster itself, this program includes the only extant photographs of life at the South Fork Hunting & Fishing Club on Lake Conemaugh during this time.—Fiona Kelleghan <fkelleghan@aol.com>