The Red River Flood of 1997: The Story and What Is True

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The Red River Flood of 1997 is a Minnesota story with a documented core at Fargo-Moorhead and the Red River of the North, Clay County. The sources are named below.

HistoryKind of story
2Named sources
Red River ValleyRegion
Nov 1Checked, 2026

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The Red River Flood of 1997

People in the Red River Valley still talk about the spring of 1997, when the river that flows north rose far past anything in living memory. Neighbors, students and volunteers from outside the region stacked sandbags along its banks, and some towns were emptied of residents. Fargo and Moorhead held. Cities farther downstream were not so lucky, and the flood changed how the valley plans for water.

What The Record Shows

The Minnesota Historical Society says the Red River crested at a record 39.6 feet at Fargo-Moorhead on April 18, 1997, and that Fargo was precariously close to being lost. The USGS lists the Fargo record stage as 39.72 feet on April 18, 1997, so the two sources differ by about a tenth of a foot. MNHS says Ada, Minnesota, with about 1,700 residents, was fully evacuated on April 7, 1997, and Grand Forks issued its first evacuation orders on April 18. The Red River crested at 54.35 feet at Grand Forks on April 22. MNHS gives damage of about $4 billion, while the USGS page says over $5 billion. The USGS explains why the river floods: it flows north into Canada, across a flat former glacial lakebed, so the headwaters thaw before downstream areas do, which causes ice jams. After 1997 a $409 million flood system was built at Grand Forks. After a close call in 2009, work began on a Fargo-Moorhead diversion channel that MNHS says remains in progress as of 2025.

Sources: Flooding of the Red River, 1997 (MNopedia, Minnesota Historical Society); Red River Basin Flooding (U.S. Geological Survey).

A Note

A disaster told as regional history, with respect. Damage estimates are a range because sources differ.

Its home: City of Moorhead. Official page.

On this site: Timeline, Red River Valley Events.

Looked for and Not Found

A damage figure for Moorhead alone

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Frequently Asked Questions

Is the story of The Red River Flood of 1997 true?

The Minnesota Historical Society says the Red River crested at a record 39.6 feet at Fargo-Moorhead on April 18, 1997, and that Fargo was precariously close to being lost.

Is this a legend?

It is a story with a documented core. The facts are listed on this page with their sources.

Where do these facts come from?

From the named sources listed on this page: Flooding of the Red River, 1997 (MNopedia, Minnesota Historical Society); Red River Basin Flooding (U.S. Geological Survey).

Sources

Read on November 1, 2026. Stories are for fun; the facts come from these sources. How we check: editorial standards; spot a mistake? tell us.

Cite this page: It's Minnesota, “The Red River Flood of 1997”, itsminnesota.com/legends/red-river-flood-1997/ (updated 2026-11-01). By the It's Minnesota editorial team. Free to quote with attribution and a link to this page; data and tables are licensed CC BY 4.0.