Founded in 1879, Garrison was a farming community along the eastern banks of the Big Blue River. Settlers, some from as far away as Germany, chose the fertile Flint Hills to build a better life.
By its heyday, as many as 400 people called Garrison home. The town had a rail station, post office, school, church, and daily stagecoaches to Manhattan.
But the good times were not meant to last.
Garrison: A Town Lost To Time
The Big Blue River valley was prone to flooding. Every few years, you could count on a rainy spring or intense series of thunderstorms to overwhelm the riverbanks with water.
At first, the floods weren't a big deal. The town was mostly made up of farmers, amazed by the valley's nutrient-rich soils, and they handled whatever nature threw at them. The real issue wasn't in Garrison at all, but further downriver.
The Big Blue flows into the Kansas River, intersecting near Manhattan. As Garrison grew, so did the major towns and cities located along the Kansas River. Manhattan was one of them, but more importantly, so were Topeka and Kansas City. Beyond that, any floods of the Kansas River could also impact the Missouri River, and then the Mississippi River. It was a domino effect.
For people downstream of the Big Blue, flooding became a major problem. Newly-built infrastructure was frequently damaged by flood waters.
In 1935, another large flood led the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to propose building a series of 7 dams within the Missouri River basin, including Tuttle Creek. But in the midst of the Great Depression, Congress refused to allocate money for the project. Over the next 15 years, a few different solutions were pitched, but no action was taken.
Then, in 1951, the region experienced one of its worst flooding disasters in recorded history. It killed 17 people, displaced more than 500,000, and caused almost a billion dollars in damage (equivalent of nearly $12 billion today). The time for talk was over. Action was demanded, even though sacrifices would have to be made.
A year later, residents of Garrison and the other valley communities were still fighting to keep their land and livelihoods. A large sign posted in nearby Randolph proclaimed, "Should this city be destroyed by BIG DAM FOOLISHNESS?"
But the tide had turned against them. By the end of 1952, the Tuttle Creek Dam project had been approved.
Construction didn't begin until 7 years later, giving residents of the valley time to move. Randolph elected to rebuild the entire town on higher ground to the west. It still exists today along U.S. Highway 77. But Garrison and other communities were dissolved.
Many residents of Garrison stayed close by, starting over in larger communities such as Westmoreland and Manhattan. Some continued to farm, while others, no longer living on farmable land, took up other trades.
The dam was completed in 1959. Slowly but surely, the waters rose and engulfed the Big Blue River valley. What was left of Garrison met its fate by the summer of 1962.
Today, a cemetery near Carnahan Creek Park is all that remains of Garrison. The ruins of an old homestead, built from limestone, can be seen from the cemetery. It evokes the memories of days gone by.
Booth Creek Wagyu Ranch borders the land where Garrison once stood, and our restaurant is named in honor of a community that was born of optimism.
A special thanks to legendsofkansas and Frank Gent for information contributing to this record. We encourage you to read their in-depth accounts of Garrison's history.
The Great Flood of 1951 as seen from Downtown Manhattan