On May 31 , 1889 , the South Fork Dam on the Little Conemaugh River , upstream of Johnstown , collapsed . The resulting deluge devastated the city , killing over 2,000 people . As the city rebuilt , the Cambria Iron Company started work on a residential development atop Yoder Hill , overlooking the city . To provide easy transportation across the steep slope for the residents of the new community of Westmont , as well as to function as an escape route for future floods , the company opted to construct the Johnstown Inclined Plane , a funicular . A bridge had to be built to connect Johnstown to the lower station of the incline , on the opposite side of Stonycreek River as the city
resulting deluge
Johnstown Flood
Inclined Plane Bridge