Blackfeet remember historic flooding of 1964 [Video]

BROWNING — It’s the 60th anniversary of the worst natural disaster in Montana’s history. Heavy snowpack and the delay of snow melt caused a surge of water, which contributed to the rupture of two dams located at Two Medicine and Birch Creek, which uprooted lives and claimed several others.

President Lyndon Johnson declared 11 Montana counties federal disaster areas and damages stood at an estimated $62 million.

On Saturday, the Blackfeet remembered and honored their own that perished. Their reservation was hit hardest by the surge.

“We come up here and we honor them because we’ll never forget them,” said Winslow Evans, a survivor of the 1964 flooding.

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The day was filled with song, prayer, and the regaling of tragic tales from a not so distant past.

“Most of the people here pitched in, like throwing tires and barbed wire, whatever they could to save those …