Don was a young man, not quite 30. Less than three years ago he was in the Vietnam War where he was surrounded by death and destruction.

He had returned home to a community stuck in a defeatist attitude. People adamantly believed that the way things were, was how they would always be. Rather than sit back, he vowed to shake things up, and was successfully elected Rapid City’s youngest mayor at only 29 years old.

Don delivered on his promise of shaking things up. Most notably, winning the special election to build a civic center. “Rapid City had shaken off…an ‘acquired habit of saying no to progress,’” said the Rapid City Journal when the results rolled in.

Unfortunately, that victory was short-lived.

Only two months later, Don found himself once again surrounded by death and destruction. Only this time, he wasn’t overseas in the middle of a war. It was his home under attack, by a foe that could not be fought: nature itself.

The Flood of 1972. Rapid City experienced a cataclysmic torrent that left 238 citizens dead, destroyed 720 homes, and severely damaged another 1,400 dwellings and 200 commercial structures along Rapid Creek.

Fifty years later, sitting on a bench of what is now known as Canyon Lake Park, memories of that night are still vivid in Don Barnett’s memory. “I try not to let my imagination get away from me,” he described. “But for the first few years, I would still relive moments from that night.”

Just like when he was elected, Don had to lead and make decisions that went against the status quo. The night of the flood, he went on his own authority to put out an all-points bulletin telling people to get away from Rapid Creek. The national weather service had not given the approval. But he knew, as he heard from those near Pactola, the water that was coming was going to be devastating. There was no wind in the air to move the clouds and the rain was not slowing.

After a long night spent finding people and resources, and even a morning at the morgue helping to identify bodies, the young leader knew that he, and the community, had to shift attention to the future.

Two days later, at 6:00 pm on Sunday night, the Mayor and City Council sat in a room. “I knew we had to walk out of that room with an answer to what kind of a theme of recovery Rapid City was going to have,” Don recalled.

The Feds had already offered and committed to rebuilding 400 pads for a destroyed trailer park. Rebuild. Replace. Not relocate. It was the bravery and fortitude of Leonard “Swanny” Swanson that would set the trajectory for Rapid City’s recovery. “NO! We cannot sentence survivors to one more night on these suicidal flood plains,” Don vividly remembered him saying.

That no, and unanimous agreement from the council helped to set the theme of recovery. Rapid City could no longer continue fighting nature by remaining the same. There had already been too many floods and lives lost. They could not risk another. It was time to reshape the city.

“I never could have fathomed the beauty that would come from such a quagmire of despair,” Don said, once again looking around Canyon Lake Park. The green grass, children in swings, dogs on leashes, and more in vivid contrast to the rapidly rising waters that had once rolled cars, washed-out bridges, and destroyed homes.

It’s hard to fathom what Rapid City was like before. Parks, bike paths, hiking trails, soccer fields, and more are enjoyed each day from Canyon Lake Park to the Central States Fairgrounds. It wouldn’t have been possible without the courage and foresight of the council and Mayor Don Barnett. 

As current generations enjoy the benefits of those changes, it did not come without challenges. There were those who fought the change and wanted the city to rebuild things as it they were. It took a steadfast belief that what they could build would be better to persevere through the opposition. 

Thorns and Roses. An appropriate title for a book collecting all the memories and moments for such a defining time in one young man’s life.

The loss (thorns) that occurred 50 years ago will forever have its imprint on the fabric of Rapid City. But it is the resiliency and willingness to turn tragedy into opportunity that has allowed Rapid City to continue to see growth and not only survive, but thrive, for generations to come. 

For more information about Mayor Don Barnett’s Memoir Thorns and Roses visit www.donbthornsroses.com