Fearless in Fromberg and the Clark’s Fork River Valley
Fromberg, MT
Written by Cyd Hoefle
Photography by Stu Hoefle
The night of Monday, June 14, was a night the residents of Fromberg will not soon forget. As Rock Creek was flooding Red Lodge, the communities of Belfry, Bridger, Fromberg and Edgar were keeping their eye on the Clark’s Fork River which was lapping at its banks.
Danny Dorvall lives in Bridger, runs a feedlot along the Clark’s Fork near Fromberg, and has farm ground between Bridger and Fromberg. He’s a volunteer fireman who has lived in the area his entire life. He knew if the situation escalated, he’d be on call, and he was right. On Sunday, June 13, he was called to Fromberg to help berm up the water plant.
“We bermed it up as best we could and thought it would hold,” Danny said. “We had no idea how high the water was going to get, and before it was all over, it came in like nothing any of us had ever seen before.”
Carbon County Commissioner Scott Miller was monitoring several bridges at the edge of his district. He was also concerned about the Clark’s Fork and watched it closely all day.
“I thought we’d be okay,” Scott said. “It’s flooded before, but was always fairly manageable.”
By the next morning, June 14, just as the river was encroaching Danny’s feedlot, he received another call about the water plant. “The river’s up and moving fast; we need loaders,” he was told.
He drove his loader to town and worked alongside others to protect the water plant to no avail. The river was too powerful as it breached its banks, flooding front yards, crossing streets, and even filling basements. Neighbors worked tirelessly to fill and place sandbags, which proved to be no match for the raging river as it rapidly rose.
“We could physically see it rising,” Danny said. “We weren’t going to stop it.”
In its growing rage, the river began taking trees and other debris downstream until masses collected under bridges.
“That’s when all hell broke loose,” Scott said. “I couldn’t believe the width and the debris. We went from bridge to bridge, working around the clock clearing bridges and helping people.”
The county crew effectively prevented wash outs at every bridge, but there was much inevitable damage that came along with it. With the high volume of water making its way down the river, the Clark’s Fork started carving new channels.
“It kept changing course and rerouting itself. We couldn’t keep up,” Scott commented. “It was as wide as the Mississippi and rushing faster than I had ever seen it.”
“Just look at this,” he said, pointing to the gravel bar. “The beauty of it has been destroyed.”
- Jay Stetson
Just outside of Fromberg, on the Stetson Ranch, Jay Stetson and his wife, Tina, frantically moved their horses and farming equipment to higher ground. They watched helplessly as the river continued to rise, taking their arena with it. Their home and outbuildings, built on higher ground, were safe from harm’s way, but everything between the buildings and the riverbank was flooded, including a newly built barn.
“We moved here in 2014 and I’ve never seen the river rise so high so fast,” Jay said.
Meanwhile, while worrying about the town, Danny also had to make an effort to protect his property, moving the cows in the feedlot to higher ground and trying to save hay bales.
“Every time I started to do something, my phone was going off,” he said. “We thought it would peak at around 2:00 that afternoon, but we were wrong.”
As day turned to night, with water still rushing, the sheriff’s department began evacuations. Danny, along with several others from the Fromberg and Bridger fire departments, went house to house notifying residents. While they were given the option to stay, it wasn’t long before nearly every home on the east side of the railroad tracks was flooding and townsfolk were frantically making their way to safety, taking only what they could carry and leaving their homes vulnerable to the raging storm of flood water.
“There was such volume and energy,” Scott said. “We just tried to make sure people were safe and out of the way. By that time, their safety was all that mattered.”
As the night grew late, water continued rising and debris continued spreading.
“Cars were floating by,” Danny recalled. “It was dark and cold, the water was 30 degrees. People were coming out of their houses with a just a few belongings, wading through the water. It was like a scene out of a horror movie. I’ll never forget it.”
He found three women who needed rescuing, two were in their 70s and one in her 90s.
“‘What do I bring?’ one of them asked me. ‘It’s too late. You have to leave,’ I told her. They grabbed their medication, and we worked our way back to the other side of the tracks where I left them. They were shaken and scared. Everyone was,” Danny said.
The water became so deep Danny, who had been driving his pickup, transferred to the town’s fire truck with higher clearance to continue rescues. Well past midnight, the cold water still showed no sign of slowing down.
“At some point before morning, I saw a family walking out of their home. They had their kids on their shoulders. We put them and their dogs in the truck. Those little kids were scared. I felt terrible for them. We dropped them off at the school and went back for more,” Danny said.
He paused for a moment of reflection and added, “I was part of it all, but I didn’t even realize how bad it was.”
Danny and others worked till dawn rescuing the townsfolk but as water continued flowing and debris raised havoc, it became too risky, even with the fire truck. Finally, a Search and Rescue helicopter was called in to save seven Fromberg residents.
The next several days were chaotic as families began to regroup, assess damages and formulate plans to move forward. Volunteers soon arrived to assist with cleanup and feed the community.
Miraculously, no lives were lost, but no one was immune to the flood’s impact.
When the river finally receded, it became evident normalcy would not be soon achieved. Over half the town of Fromberg was flooded and homes had up to five feet of water gushing through them. What wasn’t completely demolished was likely damaged beyond simple repairs.
Outside of town, Danny’s feedlot took a hit with corrals, buildings, and crops either destroyed or damaged severely. At the Stetson’s ranch, the horse barn was astoundingly spared, but the arena and some farming equipment was destroyed.
Jay and Tina use the historic barn as a wedding venue with ceremonies held along the riverbank. While the barn is untouched, the past ceremony site – a tree-lined, grass-filled meadow – is now a bleak gravel bar. Jay has invested thousands of dollars in gravel and riprap to protect his property but during the historic flooding, none of his precautionary measures were enough to keep the river at bay. Along with losing property, he lost income from weddings they had booked throughout the summer.
“Just look at this,” he said, pointing to the gravel bar. “The beauty of it has been destroyed.”
The Clark’s Fork is the lifeblood for farming and ranching in the area. It’s depended upon for irrigation and stock water. Throughout the valley, irrigation pipes and pivots were washed away, barns torn apart, corrals decimated, vehicles and horse trailers floated downstream, and fences and stock guards swept away. Crops were either entirely demolished or greatly hindered in production.
As the agricultural community continues the usual work of tending to crops and livestock, they must also find time to clean and rebuild. With both patience and frustration, the community is awaiting monetary and physical assistance from the government for rebuilding efforts.
“We’re stressed for sure,” Danny said. “All of us are. We have to get things done because this is our livelihood.”
“We could physically see it rising. We weren’t going to stop it.”
FEMA has stepped in, but as with any government program, it takes time.
“I’ve known some of these people for generations,” Scott said. “I feel for them and hate to see them go through this. It’s hard. People are scared and they want answers. They lost their homes, crops, and property. They’re emotional, tired, and frustrated. They need help.”
Meanwhile, neighbors, family, and friends of the Fromberg community, along with a slew of volunteers, are assisting one another where possible.
“People help each other out,” Scott said. “It’s what we do. This is a tough deal, but we’re grateful for what we do have, and we’ll get through this.”
There are still opportunities to help the residents of the Clark’s Fork Valley and the town of Fromberg. Donations are being accepted at the Red Lodge Area Community Foundation. Plans are underway for the One Valley Ag Relief Benefit Auction, to be held on September 10 at the Gebo Barn, located at 285 Lower River Road, Fromberg, where a silent auction will be held, and food trucks and live music will round out a night to benefit the ag community.
One Valley Ag Relief Fund - The Red Lodge Area Community Foundation (rlacf.org)