Name/Title
Teton Dam Scrapbook Joy DrugsDescription
Joy Drugs note reads:
On that disastrous morning of June 5th, we had opened the Joy Drug Store as usual and were getting ready for another days business, washing the glass doors and show cases etc, dusting off the merchandise getting ready to go and get the bag from the bank when we heard a rumor that the Teton Dam had collapsed, we didn't give it much serious thought but kept hearing more about it, then policemen in cars with megaphones kept telling us to get ready to evacuate and go to high ground out of danger and take what valuables we could.
We finally did lock up, and went up on the hill to safety. When the force of the flood hit main street, and we stood up by the hospital and saw a six food room house coming floating through Smith Park, we knew we were in trouble.
When we finally got to the store, what did we find? All the plate glass windows on the south side of town were gone, the force of the water broke them all out. All the merchandise on the west side of the store was swept either out the back door or down on the stairway and into the basement. Our ice cream machine was gone and we have never found it. The safe, filing cabinets, chairs etc. were in the basement office under mud and water. The stairs case gave way under the terrific water pressure, so it was almost impossible to get into the basement.
Imagine what the prescription room looked like, powders, pills ointments files, records, all scrambled up together, along with adding machines and cash registers.
What really made it difficult was items like Kleenex, Kimbies, Pampers, Toilet tissues, and cotton were all filled with water and the weight made it impossible to lift them.
We cleaned this store as best we could, and decided to move into a building we owned across the street, we had the opportunity of cleaning it up, remodeling it inside and out, and then moving into our new store.