CLINTON STREET DURING THE FLOOD OF 1908

This month marks the 109th anniversary of the Great Flood of March 7-8, 1908 in downtown Albion. It was Albion’s most photographed disaster, as the collapsed buildings over the Kalamazoo River made a great scene for photographers and postcard manufacturers. I’ve written much about that Great Flood here in this column over the years. We all have seen the photographs of Superior St., the Cass St. bridge, and scenes of the Market Place and E. Erie St. in this column.

What about other places in Albion? This week I’d like to feature a "brand new" photograph of the Flood. From our Historical Notebook this week is a postcard photograph of the N. Clinton St. bridge. It is taken on the south side of the River (today’s location is the front of our old Fire Department at the west end of City Hall) looking north. This steel bridge had a wooden deck. Notice the water on the bridge, and that there is debris lying on the sides. On the left is the roofing firm building of William E. Slowey along the north bank of the River. Notice in the distance that there were a couple of houses too on that side of the street.

To get a better perspective, also from our Historical Notebook this week is a photograph of the Clinton St. bridge taken from N. Superior St. looking west. Notice how high the water is churching to the top of the deck.

	Frank Passic — Albion Historian An Albion native and 1971 graduate of Albion High School, Frank Passic has been researching and writing Albion history since 1976. He is the creator of the Albion Historical Notebook, with hundreds of articles appearing weekly in the Morning Star and The Recorder. Frank maintains an extensive personal archive including Riverside Cemetery records, family surname files, genealogies, photographs, city directories, and high school yearbooks. Support his 2026 research at the Historic Albion Michigan Facebook page. Historical Notebook \| From the Archives \| Subject List \| 100 Years Ago \| Alphabetical Index \| Frank Passic Home Page \| Albion History Books \| Contact Frank
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