Calgary’s River Cafe survived and thrived following 2013 flood
Posted Jun 21, 2018 6:54 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
A Calgary landmark known for its picturesque location on an island in the Bow River had a front row seat to the floods of 2013 and it took months to recover.
River Cafe is one of the many stories of resilience, five years later.
The restaurant had stood on Prince’s Island Park for 20 years, and made it through the flood of 2005.
Founder Sal Howell said she heard from friends in the mountains about the high water there in June 2013, but wasn’t prepared for the havoc it would wreak in Calgary.
“At the time I thought, ‘wow looks what’s happening in Canmore’, not having any idea of what was coming and it really was like a tidal wave that came down,” she said.
It wasn’t until the next day Howell realized the magnitude of the flood.
“It was five o’clock in the morning — I looked down to the river, the Elbow River, and to east Elbow Park and it was underwater,” she said. “It was a stunning scene.”
After the water receded, the repairs began and thanks to tremendous community support, River Cafe reopened by late summer and regained its place as one of the top dining destinations in the city.
