Scoops and Scrapes is contributed to the Daily Bulletin by Kimberley resident Brian Crowe. All material is courtesy of Brian Crowe and Teck Cominco Ltd.

Yes, it was 63 years ago this past May, when all hell broke loose at Kimberley.

Mark Creek was a pleasant little stream until the third week in May of 1948.

On May 25 of that year, the nice little creek went on its rampage, an became a raging torrent.

Roads, like Wallinger, Ross, Mark and rotary were destroyed. Buildings, 140 of them, were damaged or swept away. A tent city for the homeless was set up where the Pioneer Lodge is, up on Church Street.

Cominco, the main employer here at the time, made sure people got on their feet again. They supplied equipment and men to help fight the flood. Blasting of buildings even took place.

We have heard of the great flood of 1948 many times, the pictures tell the story better than any words.

The strength of this little creek in a rage was evident in the amount of gravel fill that was washed away from the underground water pipes. It undermined the residential houses and buildings in its path.

Men and women helped shovel out hangups to divert the creek.

Cables were put around some homes and held with a bulldozer, so it wouldn't float into the creek.

Homes tipped over, with banks gone, and went south with the current.

Trees were cut down and Cominco men, who worked in shifts, laced the banks wit their bows and rocks. Others were evacuating homes of belongings and furniture.

Trucks hauling rocks and fill had toppled over into the creek, huge boulders were also used to shore up the banks. That was May 25, 1948.

In 1916, it was June 19, when the creek burst. It was in 1956 when the thought was that the runoff would be greater than 1948. It was because of that that the channel through town had been deepened, straightened, and concrete lined. There was some concern though. Euclid trucks and a 10 yard shover were sued around the clock, placing large waste rocks from the Sullivan Mine.

If this wasn't done, there would have been 10 to 12 lost that year.

Over 50,000 tons of waste rock and 31,000 sandbags were used to contain the raging creek in 1956.

When things calmed down that year, ti was decided to fix some things in the channel. In August of that year work began, with Fabro building Supply on Kimberley on the contract.

A 1255 foot wooden flume was built to divert the creek,. There were 14,358 feet of scrap steel railroad rails laid in the channel, concrete was poured in at 18 inches over the rails, of 11140 feet. There was also 600 feet of new walls completed, and 1800 cubic yards of concrete poured.

This was a fix in 1956.

What suddenly makes a tiny little creek become a monster, hundreds of feet wide?

With the snowpack very heavy in the spring, should hot spring weather follow below-normal temperatures, the run off comes big time. This with a week or two of heavy rains causes the problems.

Here in 2011, we have the same problems as 1916, 1948 and 1956. Even 2004 was trouble.

There is worry this year at Lois and Kimberley creeks near coronation Park, with a thought to pump water into Mill Pond or Taylor's Slough.

There is a small creek that is draining down the path in the Blarchmont Hill above the Overwaitea Store. I think it is coming from the old gravel pit above Swan Sub. It could be pumped, who knows, to Eimers Lake and down to Higgins.

Even today, as we speak, there is a problem between the old Cominco dam and the new Kimberley dam, where Mark Creek has a sloughing problem high above the creek. Rain and erosion could be catastrophic.

Upon some of my research, it was noted that he removal of the natural growth along the creek bank was undertaken to make room for community development. Tree and plant roots are important in retaining moisture.

When you log a watershed you cause big problems, this should be a no no.

When yo log above a creek you have no idea what is lost in holding its high banks.

Even though we log for fine protection and pine beetle, maybe we should think about little old Mark Creek. It's our lifeline here in Kimberley, even though it's a biblical creek, it can't be saved without some thought.