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Many Arkansans awoke to a wet morning June 11, 2010, the result of rainfall that began late the night before and continued into the next day. At the Albert Pike Recreation Area, though, the rain had developed into flooding that proved fatal.
The Little Missouri River was the focus of the banner headline on this Page 1 of the June 12 Arkansas Democrat-Gazette: “River sweeps away lives.”
According to the report, rain in the Ouachita National Forest ran off the Cub, Brier and Leader mountains, causing the Little Missouri River to begin rising at around 1 a.m. June 11. Within four hours, the river had risen 20 feet and the water cascaded down the river and southward to the Albert Pike Recreation Area near Langley — where about 100 people were camping.
By dawn, Arkansas State Police had confirmed 16 deaths, at least three of them children. Nearly 20 people were missing, and with floodwaters receded, the search for survivors had begun.
Staff photographers Benjamin Krain and Rick McFarland captured images of anguished and grief-stricken survivors and RVs strewn at the recreation area.
The conditions under which the flooding occurred did not favor those at the campground. At press time, it had not been confirmed whether a warning system was in place to alert campers to impending bad weather. Later, it was determined that the warning system at Mount Ida did not reach the campground. Cellphone service was unreliable. The timing of the flood caught campers asleep and unaware. The National Weather Service received its first report of flash flooding at 3:05 a.m., seven minutes before it received reports about six deaths.
It was still unknown who was missing because floodwaters had washed away the documents containing that information.
Deb McMaster, a geometry teacher, was the only person identified by press time. A later report said McMaster, who had been camping with her husband and their daughters, had ensured their children’s safety and helped another mother and child before being swept away.
In all, 20 people died in the flood, and 17 of them had been camping in the recreation area’s Loop D.
The campground was closed to overnight stays and remains closed today. As recently as September, the U.S. Forest Service has weighed reopening the site for overnight use.
Lawsuits filed by the families of 11 victims were dismissed in 2017 after a judge ruled that the government was protected by the Arkansas Recreational Use Statute.
In June 2011, families and friends of those who died — about 300 mourners in all — gathered to witness the dedication of a monument in the victims’ memory.
— Francisca Jones
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