SIOUX CITY, IA -
It's been a long road, but recovery after last summer's flood is slowly coming together along the Riverfront. Two weeks before last year's floods, the Lewis & Clark Interpretive Center planted 20 new trees. Needless to say - they didn't make it.
But the Center is a place where stories are shared. And, the flood last summer created a new story to be told.
"This is yet again, another story of how we live together, how we grow in our friendship and our support and appreciation for our community and for this beautiful riverfront that is emerging from the flood," said Marcia Poole, Director for the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center.
The flood took out over 20 trees that were planted along the Riverfront. Not all was lost, one lone survivor stands tall, a reminder of what this community endured: a willow tree that not only survived but flourished in the floodwater.
"And it began rooting in the water. So obviously we felt that, probably sitting in the water, didn't damage it at all, but rather helped it grow," said Mike McCormick, Facilities Director for the Interpretive Center.
The Center features portraits of children in the St. Augustine Indian Mission. Some of those kids came out today to show their support for the center, and plant roots of their own. The kids planted a maple tree with their bare hands, and then held a ceremony. Father Dave Korth, the Director of the Mission, the says the planting is a way for the kids to give thanks to the community.
"For them to be able to give back, I think, is a really good lesson for them to learn," said Father Korth.
A lesson that will grow as the years pass, and turn in to yet another story to be told.
The rest of the new trees will be going in thanks to a grant the Sioux City Garden Club gave to the interpretive center. They'll be planted in the next few weeks.
