On February 16 1884, floodwaters covered every street in Fresno. All basements and ground floors were flooded. The only means of transportation within the city was by boat. This photo depicts the situation on J street, looking northwest of Fresno street. Floods threatened to wipe out Fresno every winter because Fresno was located in the sink of four creeks. Dry Creek ran just to the north of town, Red Banks and Dog Creek merged in the flatlands to the east, and Fancher Creek ran nearby, with the center of Fresno as the confluent point.
