Portville, southeast of Olean in Cattaraugus County, runs along the east bank of the Allegheny River near the border of Pennsylvania. It's a small town that peaked in population in the 1980s, with a little under 4,500 residents.
As was the case all along the Allegheny River, Portville experienced annual flooding. This was part of Portville's early development, as lumbermen relied on the swollen creeks and rivers to move their product downstream to markets.
Portville's response to the river's flooding in 1972 was remarkable and controversial: in order to save the downtown buildings, the village erected a sandbag barrier on Main Street's Dodge Creek bridge. This caused the homes along South Main Street to flood instead.
During the flood, most of the area's telephone lines were destroyed. According to The Olean Times-Herald, only 10% of the area's telephone equipment was considered salvageable. For two months following the flood, local telephones were operated by an old-fashioned switching system with personal operators directing calls. In August of 1972, the area was upgraded to a computerized switching unit and the telephone operators were sent back home.
Main Street over Dodge Creek. Courtesy of the Portville Historical and Preservation Society
This aerial photograph, taken in the 1950s, faces south along South Main Street. Dodge Creek, which runs west before meeting the Allegheny River, is in the foreground.
Flood of June 1972: Allegheny River at Portville, New York. Courtesy of the U.S. Geological Survey.
The thick black line indicates how the Allegheny River flooded, covering up many of the little dots that represent buildings in Portville's center.
1972 Flood - Dodge Creek Train Trestle. Courtesy of Jimmy Reynolds.
The flooding throughout parts of Portville was severe, despite sandbagging efforts visible in this photo.
Flood of 1972 - Agnes - Olean Times Herald Archives. Courtesy of the Olean Times-Herald.
According to the Olean Times-Herald, many families in the low-lying areas of Portville, Weston Falls, and Allegany were evacuated by rowboat, as seen here. Evacuees were temporarily housed at the Weston Fall's firehouse or the local schoolhouse until the waters receded and emergency HUD trailers were brought in.
Route 417 east of Portville remained impassable for days.
Sandbagging in Portville. Courtesy of Roger Sutter, Sr., Roger Sutter, Jr., and Jimmy Reynolds.
These photos, shared over Facebook, were taken by Roger Sutter, Sr., and show the efforts of local Civil Defense volunteers and firefighters as they sandbagged the Dodge Creek bridge. This was an effort to save the downtown Portville buildings.
Overflowing in Portville. Courtesy of Roger Sutter, Sr., Roger Sutter, Jr., and Jimmy Reynolds.
However, sandbagging in one area led to worsening flooding in another.
Many of the families from the South Main Street neighborhood, whose houses were flooded by four or more feet of water, lived in HUD trailers for months after the flood.