The flood that birthed a new downtown

Fifteen years ago, a flood of epic proportions on the North Fork of the Palouse River hit homes and downtown businesses in Palouse.

Today, Palouse residents tout the flood as the tipping point for a major revitalization of the town’s downtown. With buildings soaked and damaged, the town council set its sights on a better, more visitor-friendly downtown.

The difference between then and now, said Palouse Mayor Michael Echanove, is dramatic. Five antique stores, three cafes, a bakery, a salon and a small public park now line the downtown’s Main Street.

Echanove said the town put in several basic measures the first five years after the flood. Those steps laid the groundwork for downtown to grow and grow and grow, he said.

“That set the stage for rebuilding Palouse,” Echanove said.

The flood damaged some 21 Palouse businesses and 40 homes, according to the Feb. 15, 1996, edition of the Gazette. The report said 15,000 sandbags and 100 tons of gravel were hauled into the town to stop the oncoming waters.

Volunteers battled to keep the water from flooding the city’s well and contaminating drinking water.

Crews tore down three buildings downtown a few years later. The entire main street and most downtown sidewalks were ripped up and replaced.

“It was just torn up. No street, no sidewalks, no nothing. It was just dirt piled up,” Echanove said.

The city went on to build Heritage Park- now a public resting place during annual Palouse events. New bathrooms were put in the park. A new grocery store was constructed.

With every change, Echanove said the town put a focus on being pedestrian-friendly. He feels that emphasis is what led to today’s colorful artist community, the antique shops and the cafes.

“As they built things we always tried to put an emphasis on pedestrians. I think a lot of it boils back down to the fact we have this pedestrian thing going on. It’s inviting for people,” he said.

Mayor at the time of the flood was Bruce Baldwin, long-time manager of Palouse Grain Growers. Baldwin too said the town focused on decisions that would make downtown more business friendly.

“It is sort of a natural progression. We were trying to get a more attractive business district,” Baldwin said.

Streets, utility lines and sidewalks were in dire need of improvement, he said.

He added the river flow gauge upstream at Potlatch provides warnings when river levels are approaching flood stage.

“That’s just a godsend to have that kind of available information on such short notice,” Baldwin said.