Moved Away From the Salt Fork on Purpose
St. Joseph's original 1849 site sat right on the Salt Fork River as Kelly's Ford, but the 1867 rail relocation moved the entire village a mile and a half north to its present, drier location by 1870. That deliberate move away from the river is part of why the village's current site carries different water exposure than its first one did.
A Village History That Explains Its Flood Profile
Because St. Joseph chose distance from the Salt Fork over a century and a half ago, storm and water damage in the village today is driven more by heavy regional rain events and drainage capacity than by river flooding. That history is useful context before assuming a water-damage cause without checking it.