Fifty years before Ivan brought flooding to the homes and businesses of Butler, Hurricane Hazel brought a similar threat in the late 1950s.

For days, Associated Press reports in the Butler Eagle recounted the storm's path, hitting the southern part of the country and moving north.

On Friday, Oct. 15, 1957, an AP article described emergency crews in Eastern Pennsylvania preparing for flash floods and winds of 40 to 50 miles per hour.

To the left of that report, a story reported the rain that would turn the West End of Butler into a waterlogged disaster.

"Long-predicted rain fell in copious quantities over the Butler area today," the report read. "Forecasters predicted continued rain this afternoon and tonight with a possibility of more tomorrow."

That evening, as the residents of Butler County read their papers, the waters rose, spilling out into the streets and into homes.

By the Saturday edition, photos of severe flooding in the West End of the city filled the pages, accompanied by stories of rescue, loss and disbelief.

"Veteran Butler residents say this is the worst flood in 50 years, and some termed it as bad or worse than the one in 1903 when the Boydstown Dam broke."

The weather bureau reported a rainfall of 4.35 inches that Friday - the most rainfall ever reported since the bureau was founded in 1927.

All low-lying roads were reported closed, leaving the communities of Evans City, Chicora, Karns City, Petrolia, Bruin and Renfrew isolated.

Drivers attempting to brave the flooded roads were forced to abandon their vehicles when the engines stalled.

Though the American Red Cross, Salvation Army, National Guard and local emergency workers labored for hours, reports also noted local residents, using their own resources to help friends and neighbors.

"Acts of neighborliness and decency were the order of the day as volunteers from other sections of Butler and Butler County went to the flooded areas and offered their aid. Boat owners were called and asked to bring their crafts. Others, after viewing the situation, went home to get their boats unasked."

For many Butler residents, day-to-day routines came to a halt. But Armco Steel continued to work, although the plant was partially shut down due to the floodwater and a power shortage.

The Pullman-Standard plant did not fare as well, however, reporting 2 to 3 feet of water in some sections.

By the Monday evening edition, reports focused on the cleanup efforts and assessing the damage.

The front-page photo depicted John Wise Jr., former Eagle editor, with three newsboys delivering the Saturday evening paper by canoe.

Photos gave life to the loss, picturing piles of ruined groceries pulled out of Kroger's grocery store on Pillow Street, waterlines marking the side of Youker's Barber Shop near the intersection of Cunningham and Jefferson Streets, and photos of water being pumped out of basements and cellars.

Tuesday's headlines began to make estimates of the losses and study the best ways to prevent future flooding.

Losses at the Pullman-Standard Plant were estimated at $200,000.

Though it would be weeks until displaced residents could return to their daily routines, each day the flood headlines subsided, signaling the return to life as usual.