The town did not have the ample water supply and rail transportation necessary to establish efficient industry, and the village became a sleepy backwater.
The creek chubsucker adults occur commonly in pools in sluggish streams, spring pools, and backwater areas, while juveniles can be found in head water rivulets.
The turn became the final trigger in the disaster as it created an instantaneous backwater effect, causing massive volumes of water to over-top the riverbank.