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May 23,1984
ST. HELENA — Cattle no longer graze on a three to four-acre area near Reynold Hoebelheinrich’s farmhouse four miles west of St. Helena.
They roamed over the area last year, but this year a large portion of hillside is moving.
It began with cracks and faults near the top of the hill last spring, but now a portion of the hill is literally sliding into the field at its base.
The fault at the top has turned into a 30-foot cliff and below, many trees and a fenceline are still intact but have slid as much as 120 feet.
Tons of soil from the hill now cover a portion of the field which Hoebelheinrich farms at the base.
The hill on Hoebelheinrich’s property is one of the highest in the area, he said. From the top, one can see for several miles in all directions, including panoramic views of the Missouri River valley from the Gavin’s Point Dam to near Vermillion.
It is second in height only to a hill on the Emery Schmit farm just to the south, he said.
“What put this hill here and why it is sliding is hard to understand,” Hoebelheinrich said. “My dad was 94 and he talked about it before he died recently. He was born and raised here, and he said he had never seen anything like it in this area.”
Hoebelheinrich says the progress of the slide has been noticeable from week to week this spring.
