 |
| William Stiebel and Jonathan Jung |
I found this picture today in a buried photo album. These two boys and I spent a long night together on a rooftop the night of June 9, 1972. That night one of the nation's deadliest floods swept through the Black Hills of South Dakota killing 238 people and injuring 3,057. Meet William Striebel (left) and his cousin Jonathan Jung, both from New England, North Dakota. William was 4 years old. Jonathan was 3 at the time. Many of you know the story so I won't go into detail. Suffice to say I was babysitting them that night.
Our story started in the family's Winnebago motorhome and ended on a nearby rooftop which happen to sit straight in the path of a massive wall of water pouring into Canyon Lake from the surrounding hills. That home was one of the few that remained on its foundation. The Red Cross and National Guard found us the next day. I was 13 years old. This is a link to the Ensign magazine story on the flood published in Sept. 1972.
My dad and i were both interviewed for the story. Months later, their parents found my address and sent a check (afterall, I was babysitting that night) from New England along with a letter of gratitude and pictures of both boys.
Anyway, many of you have heard the story but never properly met the boys. Well, here they are - handsome little guys, energetic but so well behaved considering the carnage around us. They were spared much of it under a blanket near the chimney.
No comments:
Post a Comment