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<br />gaging station record of the discharge is available, but from the rating curve established for the flood of 1921,
<br />WITh an allowance for channel clearance made after the flood of 1893, it appears that the peak discharge was
<br />between 20,000 and 25,000 cfs,
<br />
<br />Flood of 1894, The local newspaper on the evening of May 30, 1894, reported that at Salida rain had
<br />fallen continuously for 36 hours and was continuing and that for the duration and volume the storm exceeded
<br />anything in the memory of the oldest inhabitant. At the same time, Florence reported that rain had fallen there
<br />for the preceding 24 hours and that the amount was estimated at 3 to 4 inches, The precipitation above Canon
<br />City had little influence on the ensuing flood, as the discharge at Canon City was not greatly in excess of that
<br />during years of heavy mountain snowfall. In the Arkansas Valley above Pueblo this flood reached a higher
<br />stage than the flood of 1921. Below Pueblo, however, it was considerably lower. At Las Animas, according
<br />to the Bent County Democrat of June 8, 1921, the flood of 1894 reached First Street, whereas the flood of 1921
<br />was 4 feet deep at that point. The city engineer of Pueblo subsequently made a slope-area determination of
<br />peak discharge and found it to be 39,100 cfs, Subsequently the channel capacity throuqh Pueblo was
<br />increased to 40,000 cfs,
<br />
<br />Flood of 1904, The Purgatoire River flood of September 29-30, 1904, caused a flood in the lower part
<br />of the Arkansas Valley in Colorado, No gaqing station was in operation at that time at the mouth of the
<br />Purqatoire River, and it is therefore Impossible to determine the volume of the flood enterin!l the Arkansas
<br />Fliver, It is believed, however, to have been at least as qreat as the peak discharqe of 44,300 cfs at Trinidad,
<br />Rainfall in the Arkansas River Basin below the Purgatoire River undoubtedly increased the flood volume in the
<br />Arkansas River. At the Colorado and Kansas diversion dam, 3 miles west of Prowers, the peak discharqe was
<br />computed as about 70,000 cfs,
<br />
<br />Flood of 1908, The flood of October 19-20, 1908, was caused by heavy rains, chiefly during the night
<br />of October 18, which covered the part of the Arkansas River Basin in Colorado east of a line running just west
<br />of La Junta, except the area south of a line from tile Purqatoire River above Smith Canyon to the southeast
<br />corner of the State, The Geological Survey made an investigation of this flood soon after it occurred,
<br />
<br />Rain gauges were also in operation at various points alonq the canal, which is part of the Amity canal
<br />system, north of the Arkansas River. These gauqes recorded precipitation of 6.25 inches 40 miles northwest
<br />of Holly, 6 inches near Prowers, and 6,34 inches a few miles north of Lamar, Most of the rain fell w,thin 8 hours
<br />during the niqht of October 18-19, 1908.
<br />
<br />The flood of 1908 appears to have had two distinct parts, The first, October 19, due chiefly to the very
<br />heavy rains on the north side of the river, Throughout the ama affected the qround was very hard and dry and
<br />had been qrazed so closely that practically no veqetation remained, These conditions were conducive to an
<br />extremely hiqh percentaqe of run-off, and IT is believed that as much as two-thirds of the 6-inch rainfall reported
<br />appeared immediately in streams, On the north side of the river the water was reported to have "flowed away
<br />in a perfect sheet, overspreading the whole country and running into the river chiefly below the Amity Dam at
<br />Prowers, causinq a very rapid rise", This run-off reached Holly sometime before midniqht, October 19, and
<br />reached a staqe of 9,8 feet on the qaqe at Holly, The flood was prolonqed by the arrival of flood waters from
<br />Two Butte Creek and smaller tributaries from the south, and had only receded half a foot the mominq of
<br />October 20 when the second flood arrived,
<br />
<br />The second part of the flood was caused chiefly by 1'I00dwaters from the Purqatoire River, It reached
<br />a peak stage of 11 feet at Holly at noon, October 20, At I a,m, October 21 it had receded to 4,6 feet, and at
<br />7 a,m, October 22 it was 3,0 feet.
<br />
<br />Colorado Flood
<br />Hydrology Manual
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<br />4,22
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