Ken Purdy/Ron Cutkomp and Art Purdy Cabins at Port Louisa

Mile Marker 441 on the Mississippi River.  8 miles NE of Wapello, Ia


Photos taken on 6/18/2008.  Mississippi was 5.5 inches below crest of  24.43 at gauge MUS 14 at Muscatine, IA. 

The record crest at MUS 14 was 25.6 on July 9,  1993. 





Cabin 6:15:08 Cabin Forrest and Art in Boat Cabin lane N. Michael Creek to right
Ken Purdy and Ron Cutkomp Cabin
at Port Louisa. Water is 17 feet higher than the median height in the summer. 
Cabin at normal river height. 
Art Purdy and Forrest Bartenhange in front of jon boat headed out the cabin lane to cabin.  I am in the rear steering and taking photos.
 Headed East on the cabin road.  Mississippi flood water is flowing East over the Michael Creek North levee to the right.
Cabin Lane Forrest Michael Creek Purdy:Cutkomp Cabin Art Purdy and Cabin Art Purdy and Cabin 2
Same explanation as previous photo only closer to Mississippi River on lane toward cabin.
 South side of cabin.  River is in background flowing to the right. We are fortunate this area around the cabin has only about 3 mph current.  In the summer we have a back current along our shoreline, probably because of a wing dam on a curve upstream from us.
 Neighbor to the North, my brother Art Purdy.  He bought Bill Aspelmeir's cabin 2 years ago. 
Art making the most of it.  Art had 11 inches of water in the main part of the cabin. The high water mark in the cabin was 5.5 inches higher than that on the wall.
Purdy Cutkomp Cabin North Side PC Cabin Art and Forrest Ski in Kitchen Stacked high in living room
Ken Purdy and Ron Cutkomp cabin from the North side River flowing away from cabin.  Again, little evidence of a raging river in our area.  We lucky.
 My brother Art Purdy and Forrest Bartenhagen in the cabin to the left.  We had 17 inches of water in the cabin now.  The higher water mark had been 5.5 inches higher. Refrigerator and Water heater are on top of two stacked tables to right.
 In 1993 we had 30 inches in inside the cabin. This year we had 22.5 inches at the crest.  All we care about is that the cabin is still here.  We cleaned it up in 1993 and will do so again.
 Everything inside was put up high and dry before the flood.





Ken Purdy and Forrest Bartenhagen posing with ski in living room.
 Stove on top of two stacked tables.
 High water mark below is 5.5 inches of the curren 17 inch level above the floor.
Kithcen, ski, Ken Ken and Forrey, Kitchen Stove on table High water Mark
My water ski hadn't been put up high and floated out of the closet into the kitchen.
Seat 5.5 inches below water mark
The only other time the water was in the cabin was in 1993.  We know what to expect, and don't expect aid to clean up except from friends who use the cabin also. That's part of having a cabin on the river.