The Mighty Eel vs. The Railroad Track

The Mighty Eel River won this battle. In the Great Flood of 2008, water from the Eel north of Worthington came all the way around the west side of town and flooded "The Prairie" on the south side.

The floodwater closed State Road 67. Standing on the highway on the south edge of Worthington last week, there was water as far as we could see - down to the flasher light.

When the water receded, the highway was littered with debris and we saw a state highway truck using a snow plow to clear the roadway of soggy cornstalks.

They re-opened the road on Thursday and then we saw the railroad track. The railroad bed looked like there had been a battle going on - the Eel River had won.

The track, which runs along the highway all the way from town to the flasher, was riddled with holes / wash-outs, big and small. The rails were left hanging in mid-air and in many places the ties were gone along with the railroad bed.

The railroad track was the talk of the town on Thursday because there was break after break after break. One man said he counted 54 breaks.

On Friday, heavy equipment, big piles of rock and railroad crews had arrived on the scene and were busy putting it all back together again.