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.”

Nightime photograph of an area affected by the Vanport Flood. Billboards and buildings are reflected in the flood water. Handwritten note on back reads, "Jerry," indicating this was likely taken by Jerry Jiro Yasutome when he was a student at the Northwest School of Photography.

Photograph of debris and a destroyed building in the water of the Vanport Flood, 1948. The building floats in the floodwater after having been lifted from its foundation. There are 2 people on the roof. Buses line the side of a road in the background. Photograph is slightly blurry. Two handwritten notes on back read, "Jerry," and "Doyle," indicating this was possibly taken by either Jerry Jiro Yasutome or another student at the Northwest School of Photography.

Photograph of flood water surrounding a long building during the Vanport Flood, 1948. Handwritten note on back reads, "Jerry," indicating this was likely taken by Jerry Jiro Yasutome when he was a student at the Northwest School of Photography.

Photograph of 3 men standing on a road, looking at the damage caused by the Vanport Flood. Several apartment buildings float in the floodwater after having been lifted from their foundations. In the foreground, a power pole, debris, and the roof of a building sit in high flood water. Taken by an unidentified student at the Northwest School of Photography.

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.

Photograph of debris and destroyed buildings in the water of the Vanport Flood, 1948. Several apartment buildings float in the floodwater after having been lifted from their foundations. Handwritten note on back reads, "Jerry," indicating this was likely taken by Jerry Jiro Yasutome when he was a student at the Northwest School of Photography.

Photograph of 4 people in a row boat navigating around debris in the Vanport Flood, 1948. Behind them, an apartment building floats in the floodwater after having been lifted from its foundation. Handwritten note on back reads, "Jerry," indicating this was likely taken by Jerry Jiro Yasutome when he was a student at the Northwest School of Photography.

Photograph of a destroyed apartment building floating in a sea of debris in the water of the Vanport Flood, 1948. The building was lifted from its foundation by the flood. Handwritten note on back reads, "Jerry," indicating this was likely taken by Jerry Jiro Yasutome when he was a student at the Northwest School of Photography.

Aerial photograph of widespread flooding during the Vanport Flood. Several apartment buildings float in the floodwater after having been lifted from their foundations. Taken by an unidentified student at the Northwest School of Photography. This print is from the same negative or take as OrgLot762_B1F7_001.

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.

Photograph of the Staff Jennings building in the flood water of the Vanport Flood, 1948. A sign on the building states that the company sells boats, motors, and marine equipment. Handwritten note on back reads, "Jerry," indicating this was likely taken by Jerry Jiro Yasutome when he was a student at the Northwest School of Photography.

Photograph of several people in a boat next to a flooded apartment building during the Vanport Flood, 1948. One person has their hands on the roof of the building while the others look inside an open window. Several surrounding apartment buildings float in the floodwater after having been lifted from their foundations. Handwritten note on back reads, "Jerry," indicating this was likely taken by Jerry Jiro Yasutome when he was a student at the Northwest School of Photography.

Nightime photograph of an area affected by the Vanport Flood. A sign in the foreground reads, "Dirt Wanted. Dump Here." In the background is a large building surrounded by water and a sign pointing the way to Portland Meadows. Handwritten note on back reads, "Jerry," indicating this was likely taken by Jerry Jiro Yasutome when he was a student at the Northwest School of Photography.

Photograph of a large pile of debris in front of a destroyed apartment building in the water of the Vanport Flood, 1948. Several apartment buildings float in the floodwater after having been lifted from their foundations. Photograph is slightly blurry. Two handwritten notes on back read, "Jerry," and "Doyle," indicating this was possibly taken by either Jerry Jiro Yasutome or another student at the Northwest School of Photography.

An apartment building on Victory Avenue in Vanport, Oregon.

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