Salamanca, which is within the Allegany Indian Reservation of the Seneca Nation of New York, is just a short way upriver of the Allegheny reservoir, west of Olean. The downtown district was built along the river and like so many other towns in the Southern Tier, it was severely damaged in 1972. All three bridges that connected different neighborhoods were closed at once due to the flooding, effectively turning the three connected areas of Salamanca into isolated islands.
In the days leading up to the flood, residents had been reassured that their local dikes were tall enough for the flooding river. The local newspaper quoted Salamanca Common Councilors for saying the newly constructed dikes, which were 1380 feet above sea level, would protect the city "from virtually any flood imaginable."
On the night of June 23, Salamanca’s mayor, Kenneth L Reed, imposed a curfew and evacuation order. By 4 a.m. on Friday, June 24, the water poured over the dikes. The river crested at 2 p.m. and held at a level that was over seven feet higher than any previous flood.
Several hundred residents were evacuated to a refuge on the Seneca Reservation.
Flooded areas: Allegheny River, Great Creek and Little Valley Creek, Salamanca, New York. Courtesy of the Library of Congress Geography and Map Division.
Salamanca was familiar with flooding, although its most susceptible areas had little development so flood damage was limited.
This 1968 report, which included this map of previous flood areas, was produced for the city of Salamanca and the New York State Division of Water Resources by the Corps of Engineers. In the accompanying text, the report states that there were 25 floods in Salamanca between 1900 and 1968.
It warned that larger floods could and probably would happen. A "Standard Project Flood", representing the reasonable upper limits of expected flooding, was projected to make the Allegheny River rise 5 feet higher than the previous record from 1956, and it would make the local Little Valley Creek and Great Valley Creek 7 and 4 feet, respectively, than their record high 1967 levels.
Ultimately, the Allegheny River crested at 24 feet in Salamanca in 1972, which was more than 9 feet higher than the 1956 height.
Demolition Continues. Salamanca Republican-Press (Salamanca), February 7, 1972. Courtesy of the Salamanca Area Historical Society Museum.
Salamanca made efforts to address flood control, including the demolition of several downtown buildings in 1972, before Hurricane Agnes.
According to the historical society, this picture shows the removal of Chapel Drug Store which was located on the right side of Main Street (after the bridge) heading north.
North side of Main Street before the bridge. Courtesy of the Salamanca Area Historical Society Museum.
"River Street" in Salamanca lived up to its name during the devastating flooding.
Front Avenue. Courtesy of the Salamanca Area Historical Society Museum.
In this photo, shared over Facebook by the historical society, two men are identified as Dr. Goldstein, who is holding the rope, and Ron Yehl, leaning over the boat.
Front page of the Salamanca Republican-Press on June 24, 1972. Courtesy of the Salamanca Press.
The local newspaper stopped printing for a single day, as floodwaters came within inches of the building, but employees continued to work throughout Friday and pushed this photo-heavy issue on Saturday, June 24, 1972.
Flooded Downtown Salamanca. Flood: The Southern Tier's June 1972 Disaster: A Pictorial Review by W.H. Greenhow Co. Courtesy of the Salamanca Republican-Press and the Internet Archive.
This aerial photograph shows downtown Salamanca’s business district, where its buildings are engulfed by the river.
Fortunately, despite the severe flooding throughout Salamanca, there was only one minor injury, when Father Charles Zadora had a car door closed on his hand, fracturing his thumb.