What is the history of Johnstown, Pennsylvania?
Johnstown, settled in 1770, is perhaps most famous for its three floods. The Johnstown Flood”Great Flood” of May 31, 1889 occurred after the South Fork Dam collapsed 14 miles (22.53 km) upstream from the city during heavy rains. At least 2,200 people died as a result of the flood and subsequent fire that raged through the debris. Other major floods occurred in 1936 and 1977. Johnstown was formally organized as a town in 1800 by the SwitzerlandSwiss Ethnic GermanGerman settler Joseph Johns (ne Josef Schantz). The settlement was initially known as Schantzstadt, but was soon anglicized to Johnstown. From 1834 to 1854, the city was a port and key transfer point along the Pennsylvania Main Line of Public WorksPennsylvania Main Line Canal. Johnstown was at the head of the canal’s western branch, with canal boats having been transported over the mountains via the Allegheny Portage Railroad and refloated here, to continue the trip by water to Pittsburgh and the Ohio Valley. Perhaps the most fa
