Jun 28, 2002 3 min read

JOHNSTOWN – Area residents and visitors can leave their cars and tour the path of the 1889 Johnstown Flood this summer. The National Park Service is offering a new tour of flood-related sites this summer.

The route is currently unmarked and difficult to discern while traveling so this guided tour provides a unique opportunity to see how the floodwaters traveled to Johnstown, without following complicated road directions.

Descriptions provided by the on-board guide help the public understand the events and feel the power and tragedy of the flood.

The park service offers this van tour Thursdays through Mondays until Saturday, Aug. 10.

There are no tours on Tuesdays or Wednesdays.

Take this tour starting at noon at the Johnstown Flood National Memorial in St. Michael and stand on what remains of the South Fork Dam, which burst on May 31, 1889, despite valiant last-minute efforts to fortify it.

The failed dam unlashed a raging torrent that destroyed the city of Johnstown and killed more than 2,000 people.

The public will have an opportunity to visit the Clubhouse of the South Fork Fishing and Hunting Club.

They can catch a glimpse of the lives of the wealthy owners of the dam, who retreated there from Pittsburgh to beat the summer heat.

Visitors will travel through all the local boroughs that the waters destroyed along the 20-mile path of the flood before arriving in Johnstown.

At the Heritage Discovery Center, participants will hear the stories of Johnstown’s people through the eyes of immigrants.

Visitors will have an opportunity to pass through Grandview Cemetery where many of the victims were laid to rest.

They will also have an opportunity to look back at the path of the flood from the top of the Johnstown Incline and ponder its destructive force.

The tour returns to the Flood Memorial at 4:30 p.m.

Participants are encouraged to eat lunch before the program begins.

Snacks and refreshments are available at the discovery center and the incline.

The cost of the program is $8.50 for adults, $7.50 for seniors and $4 for children ages 6 to 16.

Children 5 and under are admitted free.

The fee covers admission on the Flood Memorial and Heritage Discovery Center.

The tour is a partnership between the National Park Foundation, the National Park Service and the Student Conservation Association and is made possible through the generous support of Ford Motor Co., a partner of America’s national parks.

“This is an exciting partnership and opportunity for the area,” said Joanne Hanley, superintendent of the Flood Memorial.

“There are stories to tell here in Johnstown, and this program gives us a wonderful opportunity to connect them.”

For information and reservations to take the tour this summer, contact Johnstown Flood National Memorial at 814-496-4643 or visit the Web site at www.nps.gov/jofl.