1887: Ice gorge finally breaks. An ice gorge in Washburn finally, broke, causing the river to rapidly rise. A second gorge formed below the city, and the ice carried with it, struck the Norther Pacific warehouse, which was one of the largest in the world.

Within just two hours of the gorge breaking, the water had reached the second story of the boarding houses that had been built on what was considered to be high ground. The N.P. warehouse itself, nearly 700 feet in length, was moved 30 feet, and sent crashing into the bluffs.

All of the small dwellings along the river were swept away, and the steamboats at Rock Haven were in danger of being destroyed. Even the high trestle of the N.P. was damaged, causing travel to cease, and making Bismarck the end of the line.

1902: Two Lakota Indians from the Standing Rock reservation were found frozen to death, after a terrible storm swept across the prairie. Additional individuals were feared to have perished as well.

1910: The first train to arrive in Bismarck, from the west since a massive flood, was preparing to leave Mandan. 100 feet of track remained to be completed, but it would soon be done.

Searches had also began after reports of the disappearance of three families, nearly Glencoe, had circulated. It was feared they were victims of the high water.

1911: Plans for a new freight house for the Northern Pacific had been received. The building of the freight house seemed to coincide with the possibility of Mandan becoming a division headquarter. The freight house was slated to be placed on the block opposite of the City Lumber Co.

1914: Citizens of Mandan were anxious for the possible erection of a statue of George Custer. It was believed that such a statue would be placed during the coming season, and for years, it had been discussed. The general consensus was that something should be done to honor the memory of Custer.

1926: The state was busy recruiting all available state and private equipment to battle against the 12-16 foot high drifts that had marooned 1200 farm families, as well as their starving cattle, in the so called “Blizzard Belt.”

1927: Digging was being done at St. Mary’s Catholic Church, but not for the common reasons. Police and Father James Slag, who was pastor at St. Mary’s church, had inaugurated a treasure hunt at the cemetery, after word was received that  Frederick Buhl, Jr., had buried $100,000 in the cemetery after having committed a mail robbery in Alton, Illinois, in 1923.

The cemetery had been rearranged since 1923, and Father Slag that even Buhl would have had difficulty in finding the money. Trying to narrow down the search though, graves that had been made in the late summer of 1923 were searched, as well as near the cemetery entrance slab, where Buhl said he had buried part of the cash.

A previous search had been abandoned when local treasure hunters began to agree with New York police that Buhl was just making up storied. But the search was once again on after the American Express company verified the robbery.

Police were stationed at the cemetery on a nightly basis as the search continued.

1936: Residents along the Missouri river bottoms, north and south of Mandan, were warned to leave their homes as ice gorges had formed, and the river was rising at Sibley island.

1952: The Governor, Norman Brunsdale, was waiting to hear back from President Truman about emergency funds, while county commissioners estimated that it would take seven to 10 days to clear everything. Plans were also being made to air drop hay to aid starving cattle, as had happened in 1949 with “operation haylift.”