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. 54 FLOODS IN COLORADO MAJOR FLOODB--SOUTH PLATrE RIVER 55 observer stated that the storm was the worst that had occuITed in that region in years. J. A. Armstrong," irrigation engineer, investigated the flood on the North Fork Cache Ill. Poudre River, and the following is abstracted from this re'port: The floods down these creeks were caused by a continuous heavy rain, or a succession of CIOlldburstB commencing before noon of the 20th aud lasting 5 or /' 6 hours, centering about Stonewall Mountain at the head of Stonewall Creek. This area. is entirely clear of timber or forest growth of 'any kind. Stonew&ll, Dale. and Lone Pine Creeks are all tributary to the North Fork Cache Is. Poudre River. The flood was down into Livermore, only a. few miles, almost before anyone could remove anything out of the way. and had it been at night, there would prob9.bly have been great loss of life as well as property. The volume of water passing Livermore has been estimated at 20,000 cubic feet per second. The flood reached the Cache Ill. Poudre River early in the afternoon of May 20 and wos augmented above Fort Collins by floods from Dry Creek, Hook Canyon, and Moore Canyon. In describing the flood below the canyon the Greeley Tribune of May 26, stated: About the first warning of danger that people up the valley had was when a wall of water 10 to 14 feet Wgh burst out of the Pondre Canyon [early in the alternoon], a couple of miles above Laporte. As quick 88 possible word was telephoned to Fort Collins of the coming flood, and the people of Laporte sought safety on high ground. When the water reached the open valley it spread over a surface of about a. mile and its speed was somewhat slackened. The flood reachcd Fort Collins late in the afternoon May 20 and continued for about 3 hours, d!lring which time about 150 houses in the lowlands, occupied by Russian beet workers, were swept from their foundations and carried some distance downstream. All bridges but one in Fort Collins were destroyed. Five miles below Fort Collins the flood from Boxelder Creek entered the Cache Ill. Poudre River. Concerning BoxeIder Creek the Greeley Tl.ibune stated: The Boxelder, a small stream ordiu8.rily only a few feet wide, was tearing down through a fert.i1e valley filled from bluff to bluff with a sheet of water a mile wide, carrying buildings and bridges away in its mad rush. Below the mouth of Boxelder Creek the flood waters of the two streams reached a width of 1" miles in places. The flood reached Greeley about 8 :30 the next morning, May 21, and as the channel wils too small to carry it, and the culvert under tho Union Pacific Railroad tracks was also inadequate, the water backed up and overflowed a large area in the city. Below the raih-oad the lowlands were also overflowed, and the houses in that arca were submerged to their window sills. Flood stage continued until noon; when the water fell almost os rapidly os it had risen, . Armstrong, ,. A., Flood on Cache 18 Poudr(Rlver: U. S. Oeol.)urveylWater-Supply Paper 147, pp. 164-166, 1906. . The somewhat widely held view that the dam at Chambers Lake f!tiled and that its failure wos an important factor in the flood of 1904 has been feund erroneous. Chambers Lake Dam failed, not in 1904, but in 1907. In Armstrong's report (see p. 54) no statement wos made regard- ing the flood in the canyon of the Cache 111. Poudre River below the mouth of North Fork and above Hook and Moore Canyons. 'I'he gaging station in that section of river was destroyed by the flood, therefore no gage-height record exists. Testimony regarding the relative magnitude of the flood of 1904 and that of 1864 is conflicting. Armstrong's report states that people living in the valley since 1859 reported that the flood of 1904 wos !tbout 1.5 feet higher than the flood of 1864. On the other hand, the Fort Collins Express, May 25, 1904, quotes J. J. Coy, who lived at the same place near the river during both floods, os being sure that the flood of 1904 wos greatly exceeded by that of 1864 and that, although the channel wos wider and c!tITied more water in 1864 than in 1904, the flood of 1864 reached II. higher point on his property. The widespread storm of June 2-7, 1921, covered the Cache Ill. l.-- Poudre River Basin but was not severe in the upper part, above the VI , . canyon gaging station, nor at the mouth, as is shown by the followmg records: Precipitation, in inches, in Cache Ia Pou.dr€ River Basin, June fJ-7, 19ft Altitude Precipitation (feet) (inchn) Frys Ranch (above station)_______________________________ 7,500 1. 71 Laportc_____________________________________.:._________- 5,063 3.74 }'ort Collins_____________________________________________ 4,985 3.64 Grccley_______________________________________________- 4,637 1. 86 lIff!nn daily discharge of Cache Ia Poudr€ River at gaging station at mouth of canyon, June f-t4, 19ft [From reports of State Engineer of Colomdo) &C.071d-- S<<ond. feet fed .June 2______________~________ 2,660 June 9___._____________._____ 4,520 3___"",___",_,____,__ 2,780 10_,_,___,,_____,0,,0__04,450 4.'0'______'"________,__ 3,850 11.___________0___,__0__ 4,450 n__ __ ____________________ 3,480 12.______.____ ___ _______ 4,450 6_'0_'__'_",,___,,_,,__ 3,340 13"__"____",,,___,,,_ 4,080 7_""___'0"'__'",,,__ 3,620 14______"__"",,__,.,, 3,700 8",__"0_'______.,,____ 4,680 The hcavy rainfall at Laporte and Fort Collins caused a consider- able increase in the discharge below the canyon, os shown by the following statement in the Loveland Daily Herald of June 9, 1921: The [Cache 1a) Poudre River, which has been high for the last 2 days, is drop- ping slowly. It is thought that the danger from a flood is over. For Borne time,