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<br />high put a roller coaster bend in the bridge on the road leading to Little t=lanches of the
<br />Fontain, The next onslaught of water washed this bridge out completely as well as the
<br />railroad trestle on the tracks 1/4 mile south. Residents of the area east of Fountain were
<br />forced to wade the stream or go miles around to main traffic arteries, At the height of the
<br />stonn. muddy waters poured down Fountain's main thoroughfare. Sante Fe Drive, washing
<br />a huge gully at the north end of the bridge south of town across Fountain Creek, The
<br />bridge across Crew's Gulch, on Highway 85-87 between Fountain and Secur~y. crumpled
<br />when the full weight of the flood h~~, Several persons, attempting to traverse the highway
<br />at Harrison Interchange. drowned when their car was submerged by roiling waters, East
<br />of Security-Widefield on the Clarence Fl)ster Ranch. residents climbed to the top of high
<br />cottonwoods to escape waters pouring down Sand Creek '" This meek stream (Fountain)
<br />'" usually carries a minimum amount of surface water ," During the flood stages ~
<br />reached a height of 10 to 12 feet in depth and a mile wide along this stretch of
<br />countryside."
<br />
<br />4.2.3 PURGATOIRE RIVER
<br />
<br />Following are descriptions of known large floods that have occurred on the
<br />Purgatoire River in the vicin~y of Trinidad, including excerpts from locally published news
<br />accounts,
<br />
<br />Flood of Seotember 1904. During this flood, the Purgatoire River attained an
<br />estimated peak discharge of 45,400 cts, the greatest discharge ever recorded at Trinidad,
<br />Regional communication. transportation. and public util~y installations WElre severely
<br />damaged and essential services were interrupted. W~hin Trinidad. the floodwaters
<br />overflowed both residential and commercial areas, washed out four bridges, and swept the
<br />Sante Fe Depot entirely away, Estimated losses in the city ranged from $350,000 to
<br />$500,000,
<br />
<br />Flood of Julv 1925, According to the Trinidad Chronicle News on July 23,1925:
<br />"Trinidad was swept by the most threatening flood of 20 years between the hours of 6:30
<br />and 9 o'clock last night when, after a series of cloudbursts here and up the river, the
<br />Purgatoire River ,,, inundated a fairly larlle area of the c~y '" Scores of people along the
<br />river course were forced to leave their homes, The Sante Fe Depot and Cardenas Hotel
<br />property were under water '" Pine Street and Nevada Avenue became a lake and
<br />hundreds of people were marooned with hundreds of autos and cut off during the period
<br />of the flood, '" aggregate damage from the flood is great '" the most severe since 1904,"
<br />
<br />Flood of Aoril1942, "Torrents Rage Thru Channel to Submerge Upper End of City
<br />Under Layer of Mud and Water,' said the Trinidad Chronicle News' leading arlicle caption
<br />of April 23, 1942, ",,, Two of the principal bridges in Trinidad demolished, others
<br />undermined--highways and railroad lines washed out. and train and motor traffic hatted in
<br />all directions; telephone and other publiC services damaged and seriously interrupted;
<br />uncalculated damage to important business property,,, the c~y water service system
<br />sustained damage ,,," After the floodwaters subsided, a damage survey indicated that
<br />
<br />Colorado Flood
<br />Hydrology Manual
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<br />4,29
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