Geoscience Reference
In-Depth Information
In the hard times of the 1930s, shanty boats along the Ohio River's banks were home to
many families, who felt fortunate to have a roof over their heads even if it was not on dry
land. The 1937 flood tore several of these makeshift homes from their moorings. They were
then swept into downtown Ashland, coming to rest on Sixteenth Street. The photographer
who took this picture was facing north, toward the river, with the shanty boats floating at
the right. (Courtesy Charles R. Nichols.)
Here is another 1937 view of flooded Sixteenth Street in Ashland, with a sandbag-loaded
barge floating in the foreground and a wayward shanty boat in the background, just to the
