Herman Skovgaard outside his apartment in Vanport, Oregon. He is dressed in overalls with a hard hat and metal lunch box and is preparing to leave for work at the Swan Island Shipyards.

Cars lined up at the gas station on the corner of Lake Avenue and Victory Avenue in Vanport, Oregon.

Donnie Dill (left) and Dale Skovgaard (right) dressed in western style shirts and posing in front of a car in Vanport, Oregon on their way to the Smith Lake Riding Academy.

A view of Vanport, Oregon apartment buildings looking east toward Lake Avenue.

Dale Skovgaard (left) with his friend, Vincent, and dog Max, in front of their apartment building on Island Avenue in Vanport, Oregon.

A view of Vanport, Oregon looking west on North Cottonwood Avenue from Denver Avenue before the flood.

An envelope containing commemorative photographs taken during the Vanport flood in 1948. The envelope is white with red lettering that reads, "10 Selected Snapshots 50C. Vanport City, Ore. Destroyed by the Mighty Columbia River. May 30, 1948." Vanport City, once the second largest city in Oregon, was destroyed by a flood on May 30, 1948 when water breached a nearby section of the dike along the Columbia River.

An apartment building on Victory Avenue in Vanport, Oregon.

People shopping at the Number 1 shopping center in Vanport, Oregon.

Delores Skovgaard sorting through personal items after residents were allowed back into Vanport, Oregon following the Vanport flood. The caption on the photograph reads, “My sister Dee helping.”

A view of damaged apartment buildings in Vanport, Oregon after the water receded from the Vanport flood. The caption on the photograph reads, “Slough in background. No more bridge from Victory Avenue across Bayou Slough to Island Avenue.”

Unidentified people climbing over piles of debris left behind after the flood waters retreated during the Vanport flood. Several apartment buildings lifted from their foundations by the flood waters are visible in the wreckage.

A view of damaged apartment buildings in Vanport, Oregon after the water receded from the Vanport flood. The caption on the photograph reads, “Our apartment house.”

Agnes Skovgaard sorting through personal items after residents were allowed back into Vanport, Oregon following the Vanport flood. Caption on the image reads, “My mother sorting through personal items after the flood to see if anything was worth saving. Very little.”

Agnes and Delores Skovgaard standing behind a picket fence in front of their apartment in Vanport, Oregon. They are sorting through personal items after residents were allowed back into Vanport following the Vanport flood. The caption on the photograph reads, “My Mother, Netta and Sister, Delores, trying to sort out any savable items from apartment.”

A photograph of an unidentified woman sitting on the rooftop of a flooded apartment building during the Vanport flood. The back of the image is stamped with, "Camera Art Studio 4706 N. E. Glisan VE, 3866 Portland, 13, Oregon. 3810 8."

A photograph of an unidentified group of police officers and Vanport residents Walking across a broken bridge and searching through debris left by the Vanport flood.

A photograph of an unidentified group of police officers and Vanport residents standing near debris left by the Vanport flood.

A photograph of the field of debris left after the Vanport flood.

A photograph of a large crowd of people shoveling sand into sandbags during the Vanport flood.

A photograph of several apartments in high flood waters during the Vanport flood. Several rowboats are tied at the edge of the water.

A photograph of three unidentified men in a rowboat among the flooded apartment buildings during the Vanport flood.

A photograph of unidentified people walking through debris left behind after the Vanport flood. The back of the image is stamped with, "Camera Art Studio 4706 N. E. Glisan VE, 3866 Portland, 13, Oregon. 3810 10."

A photograph of unidentified people viewing the damage caused by the Vanport flood. Several people are visible standing on the rooftops of flooded buildings and three unidentified men are attempting to navigate a rowboat through the debris. The back of the image is stamped with, "Camera Art Studio 4706 N. E. Glisan VE, 3866 Portland, 13, Oregon. 3810 21."

A photograph of an unidentified woman sitting on the rooftop of a flooded apartment building during the Vanport flood. Three unidentified people look on in the foreground. The back of the image is stamped with, "Camera Art Studio 4706 N. E. Glisan VE, 3866 Portland, 13, Oregon. 3810 22."

A photograph of a line of sandbags holding back flood waters in downtown Portland, Oregon. Union Station and the railroad yards are visible submerged in floodwater in the background. Several unidentified men are working to help reinforce the sandbag wall at various point. The back of the image is stamped with, "Camera Art Studio 4706 N. E. Glisan VE, 3866 Portland, 13, Oregon. 3810 23."

A postcard depicting flooded trains in the railroad yards during the Vanport flood. The Image caption reads, "Flood Waters Railroad Yards, Portland, Ore. Christian V-14."

A photograph of an unidentified group of people viewing the damage caused by the Vanport flood. In the distance people in boats and on rooftops are visible in the flood water. The back of the image is stamped with, "Camera Art Studio 4706 N. E. Glisan VE, 3866 Portland, 13, Oregon. 3810 15."