Flood Devastates Springfield
On this day in 1936, the worst flood in the state's recorded history inundated the city of Springfield. An unusually cold and snowy winter, followed by a spell of warm and rainy weather, turned the normal spring rising of the Connecticut River into an unprecedented natural catastrophe. Dams were breached, bridges knocked off their foundations, houses swept away. When the floodwaters finally receded, there was destruction everywhere. There were also jobs. The flood brought employment and business back to a town hard hit by the Depression. Springfield recovered, but no one wanted a repeat of the 1936 flood. Congress authorized construction of flood control dams all along the Connecticut River.
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