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<br />Craig Empire-Wednesday, May 23, 1917
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<br />ll~ Flood Conditions 'Vorst in
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<br />~I History
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<br />'i HIGHEST 'VATER FOR YEARS
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<br />Backward Spring, Accompanied by
<br />Much Snow in April and May
<br />Cause of Sudden Floods
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<br />T~l{" high 'elll'l" is princip:llly lhJt' to thl' h.;l(kward..prin.~.
<br />,,'hir h hrlluglll tIlLKh :-.1141\" durill~ thl' ["Ut'. p;m of '-\1'1 t1 ~llld
<br />.he Iir~l \H'l'J.. ur :\by. :l1ld whkh had h~'(d hack tlw lbllal
<br />me l1ill~ of tht' "'now.. in lilt" \~tlle~'s ,nllt 011 the lot\'l'T hilk
<br />'[1Il' ..Ildtll'll CUllllll~ or slulUlwrlikt" wt',llht"l dUl lll~ d){' pa.;,l
<br />t('IIII;I~'S 11;\... ('<lustd Ill(" snrl\\'..nn tht'lo\\"c'r 1;1ml~ tCI disal)!)("al"
<br />lilt, m;l;L:"ir. whilc' ill norll1i.l1 Yt'~lrs thi~ "runorf" lakt's pLln'
<br />~r.lch[;llly dill iU;i!; :I. 1.1 r("h ;wel April, Alld with thi.. TllOi-<oIUrt" is
<br />nO\,' (Hlllin.bl: IIl.lI fmlll tht' hills hi.li!;lwr up wilh Ill(' rl'suh Ihal
<br />l'\n~' ..llt';1I11 ill tltl' n)lIlll~' is IHl\\" oul of it.. h~lllk" AmI ;tll old
<br />lillll.... pH'dic I Ifl,I1 Ihc" ,,'orS1 is yt.t to tUIUt', <I:<.llw hU~l' ~);1Tlk.....
<br />411 '114)\" nil Ilw mountain' <In' jtl....t bl'.l.?;illlling: 10 nwll n1pidl~'.
<br />I-'Il:ttly tliV hi~hc""l Wille'l is I.XlX'1 il'Il11"Cl dllrilt;l{ tlw first It'll
<br />~b~, of .I11llt'. .md slun' Ilwn' is i.l ~n',lll'r ;1111011nt of ..II ow ill
<br />1114' lllOlllluin' Ihi... ~C";ll' th;1II for Ill{" ~Xl"il 'A'n"r~ll :<.t",I:'i.flllS. this
<br />i, t'~lll'('[('d tn nHllillllC" tlle' Ilond f'Ondilion.s fOI" st"H'wl \\Tt'ks
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<br />PC'rh:L(h lilt' g:r{':1tc'St SillF!;lt" 10-" h,lS Ill't'n ,hI' dl'~tl'll("[i()n
<br />of Ibc' hol jd,L:.t. ,Inn";., lht, Y;lInpa Riwr iH Cr,Li.~, 011 tlw 1ll00ill
<br />111;14( It';lIlifl,L;: 10 :l.h-l.kl.r..."
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<br />As indicated in the article above, the May
<br />1917 flood resulted from rapidly melting
<br />snow. The article omitted the fact that 2,01
<br />inches of rain, the greatest 24-hour amount of
<br />r€l:ord to that time, occurred on May 17 in the
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<br />Craig area and intensified snowmelt runoff,
<br />Destruction of the Yampa River bridge
<br />caused the loss of one life, High Fortification
<br />Creek inflow to the Yampa River was the
<br />principal cause of the bridge washout.
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<br />Craig
<br />Jams
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<br />Flooded
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<br />'Vhen
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<br />Ice
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<br />Eastern
<br />Barrier
<br />Spring
<br />Jams
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<br />BUSINESS
<br />FLOODED
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<br />Part of Town Isolated by
<br />Brought by
<br />and Immense Ice
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<br />of 'Yater
<br />Thaw
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<br />BASEMENTS
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<br />AU tht' raslern half of Crai~ and RoS{.'t1ak adLliliol1 was
<br />isolatc-d frolll lilt" busint'ss -S('nion S::uLl1'day aftt'rnoon and
<br />night \\'ht'n the flood waters of l"onifiGuion broke" It'Houg:h
<br />thc' n....lining d~ I.:t's,:\ ft'\\- rcsidelKes weJe fI(J(.)I..].t'Il. n-llars and
<br />bast'ment'!J \\'1"1'(" Iillt-d and the elllire f".l5.[t'nl part of lown \,'as
<br />~l sht.t'1 of \\',un until the f'arl~' hour SU[J(l..a~' Illomin~.
<br />Th I'('f' da y> or Llll pH"tt'tll'll tt'd \\-arm K{'a ther. comhi l1ed \\. il b a
<br />\,'<lrm I"ain hida~' nighl, turned FonifiGlIion (:rL'~:k illlu ..
<br />r~lging: wrrell[, IIdd ill che<:k b~' lhe ice jam belo,," :\bin
<br />Slret'l Brid.,"::c, \,'atel" bacJ.';e"d up FortifLcLltion O~k .;.nul
<br />[hroll.irj;h lbe dykes,
<br />Resiuents of Carpt'lHer's }-'Ials wele rirsl to fc.'d th[' rH("('t of lhr
<br />flood., as thr Kate1'~ lu"adffi ror Yampa Riwr. By .5 o'dock
<br />\\';;1[t'1' was st'\'t"ral inches deep on the b..1.1I groulHl :.md Rus<,t"1l
<br />StT("t>t couM bt- cross.c"d al :l.t3in only at the risk oJ filliJ1~
<br />rubber boots,
<br />Temporary tl~'k(":'; \\'ere bein~ thro\,'n up to holJ. Ibt' W;Jtl'r in
<br />the t',1:r.tern part 0 f t he town ;:,md a \\'a y hom the bmi nt's"!.
<br />S{"uion whell tbe m<1d\,'a~ of 6th Strret ;H RLls~eH \,'as cut
<br />throll~h_ Tht:\ $et the W;;1ler in a torren( down lhe alle~'
<br />lX'l\"cen Yam));] ..henue and Russell Street. All the b.'1Selllt'llts
<br />of bU5ine~s hous.e~ on lhe east side of Yampa A\'f'IUW \\'(,IT
<br />rtIJetl with \\'aler ill a fe\," minutes.
<br />nit' basement of the- C.raig BLlkerr \.,,-as flooded bt-fore c"n"n Ihe
<br />fires could be pulled from llle rLlnlaCe, which wai (.'rac.:keu b)'
<br />the j('(" cold wattl". Only are", ligllt anides werr t;;1ken hom
<br />the basemrnt before lhe water came in.
<br />The basement under AI~n TO\....-ers. building, also rilleJ with
<br />surplus. Slock, \'''as flooded,
<br />C. G. Cowgill was, however, the greatest suffl"T{"L His
<br />bascmrm \\'as crammed full of Slock and stored goods and
<br />there \'''as no lime to Glrrr any of j[ OUl before lhe" flood came.
<br />Craig home.s on higher ground wel"t" opened lO the use or
<br />persons whose homes were surrounded by willer. Manager
<br />Russell Young placed all the surplus beds in lhe Cominental
<br />Hotel at the s~'f\'ice of flooded townspeople ami mumI')'
<br />people who \"erc unable 10 reach their f.arms. because of Ihe
<br />condition of the rO;;1ds.
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<br />Craig Empire-Wednesday, March 9. 1921
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<br />Fr'al" \\'<15 felt S<ltlllda~ night lb.\! tl1l' 10\\'1L \,-ould be ill
<br />Uarklles~, as lht' wall'r kt"pt climbing in tilt' pl:lIlt of tht' Cr3ig
<br />.sc."[\'lce .-\~so,ri:uioll. fitl"lI~' bt-g:illlllHf.!: to lUll into [hC:"
<br />fireboxes thf.'ll\sdws_ -nle pblH W.l~ kl'pt llLlltling hO\\'('H:r.
<br />A lar!{C' forrt' of \\'illinR \ulul1l<'t"l's \\'()I}.;c'tl must of S;Jwrd;;1y
<br />night 10 slem the rhe of lhe W<ll('r. .-\s thl.' \\'~ltn.. camt' aH(}~S
<br />Y:Hll!la ..\\'t'tlLlt:' at :l.tltn. all thl' ~llrplu,~ stod~ of tht" :l.toHat
<br />Cmuu~' _\klcamilt' Company \\';1S r4:lUOH'd hum the t:Kl~l'ment
<br />of tht' Fim X~llioua1 Rmk Building, By building \\'alb of
<br />m.mure on the rogt's of Ibe siJt'''-..IlI.:. W;JtlT was kt'p[ Gul or
<br />tht' basement.
<br />F{"al" wa~ felt lhal the i\toffal Railrood BJ'id~C' anti !{r.ac.lC" might
<br />g'O om if tll(" \\'au:'r continued to riS(', :\:0 di.llnage was done to
<br />the ll1;1in (jnt" gr;;1de. howenc"r. althou~b lilt" gradr undrr the
<br />"Y"' was washeti a\\-ay and .'Sallm:la~ morning's frc-ighl was
<br />fOIT"l'd 10 back 10 Hayuell.
<br />S<lIUTday nighl rain sri in again and more water thLln before
<br />\,-..:;.Iookecl ror on Sunday. DlIrin~ lbe nighL Ionuna(el~', lhe
<br />[c'mJX'r"uure dropprtl and lne flood rrITdro,
<br />Sumlay a clear channel was opened for lbt' creek and il is
<br />thought lbere- w il I be no more danger of hi..r:::b ".::tter III is year.
<br />Fortification and iLs lribUlarit's \,'ert' lbr only streams in this
<br />,,'icinit). to run abnormally high. . . ;\tudl of tile lce in
<br />Yampa Riwr befO\\- Cl'3ig nas begun to clear. while aban'
<br />C..raig lhere are only OCGlsiollal stretcbrs 01 open w::Her.
<br />The cenlrifugal pump or the Cross J\loumain Canal
<br />Comp.any was put lo work Stlnda~' and :I.[on<<a)', \,.ith a
<br />tmctor as moti\'e po';.\'er, pumpLng [ht" waler from basemems
<br />and eXGl\Oitions in llle business secdon or CcaLg.
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