<br />HhTlJRl Ur f'LliClUiNG
<br />
<br />14
<br />
<br />"
<br />
<br />ThE' infc)rmHion ahOlJt the historIC tloo<1s comes trom twQ main ~ources: In-
<br />t~r~ie>l, with long-tlme locdl rl.'~iderlts dM 1 Corp~ Jf Engin~ers I:ydrologic
<br />,tllay ot tht' Lry~tdl RI~P" (51. The ldry~,t f1,y,,~ rel.<Jr<J"',1 un tM~ r.ry~till
<br />K) ve,' Jre <1u<? to ~no',,"'el t duri ng the c,I,r i rl9 dnd ear I y summer Olon tr,~. L,l tl'
<br />,w,"mer dr:d frlll f1 ood., indu(ed Dy rrlin,t[)rITIS rlnd otte" dCCo'"edni ed '!sj lar'J~
<br />mud Jnd deDri s f1 ow<;, hJ ~e Dee" exp~rit'nce(j on tri outari es Of the Cry~ ta 1
<br />~i ~er.
<br />
<br />Carbonate Cre~~, IOLclteu "",ar tlw To~n of Mar~le. hd5 ~ history uf cloudbur,t
<br />t I ood s dcco,npd~ied by 1 rlr'Jp !1IlJd and debri s f I ow'<;, Mr,. ~1ar j ori e Orl Dsky,
<br />>'Ii dow I) t Cha r I es (Jr I 0 ~~ y + pi once r tr d ppe r dnd I:un te r. ~:cl s 1 i ,ed i n jt<l rb I e
<br />SlnC1t tile turn of tile Ct'ntury. She ri',dll~ thdt ~drlJondU Creek hds flooded
<br />severa 1 ti n:es i nundati n9 sect! ons of ~:arDl e oIith sil t ana de~r is. One
<br />cloudiJurst occurred on July J I, \~4~. l'li gn ..ater tro," tl:dt storm wok out
<br />severdl IwiGg'" dlong tile Crystal Ri ver tror" AdrDle to Carllonrldle; ho~'ever,
<br />tll~ brid9~ dt Redstol'" held.
<br />
<br />Many descendents of the e~rly pioneers still the in the arerl. None OT tne
<br />"oldtimers"intervieoleart'ment:>ereadma~floodontheCrystJl. Thetlood-
<br />iT:g incidences they do rememDer naa Deen (aused by cloudburst, + not snowmelt
<br />runoff. They state that deiJri~ from tricutarie, cause more probl ems and d~m-
<br />age than inund<ltion <Ilong th.. main ri~er. These cloudbursts reportedly /lave
<br />occurred in 1 He July or early August. These C10Ull!lursts ha~e caused illdny
<br />mud ,1 id\'s dnd carried I'lrge dillounts ot (j(>~ri s into the ri~cr incl uding huge
<br />buulders the ~il!' of elcphrlnt~. High"...y \33 hd~ been clo<;e~ lOony times ~f
<br />I"LHI sl i<l<.><; in the ,U"""'H' "lUnths. The Idrgest rccornen Srlowmel t dna rdi~-
<br />flLlO<j<; i~ tl:e Cry,t.ll River bd,;in dn~ t~bulav.'<1 in lable (. Till' source of
<br />d d ta t'o r T d b I.. ~ I, trom t~:" iJ. ". I,. S. "'1 t.. r SurJp 1 y record <; I 6. /, b).
<br />
<br />Odt..
<br />
<br />iJb/~,/17
<br />U0/21/38
<br />UH!lJ8/41
<br />UI/Jlj4~
<br />UIJI1,lj44
<br />uull'i,'!;!'
<br />lib/I ~/~J
<br />iJl/vl /~I
<br />lJl)/lu/!;Y
<br />vb,/li'/G'i
<br />J~/n/~~
<br />u~,/l4/11
<br />uljlt.//j
<br />ul/'!4/l!
<br />
<br />lAdLE 2
<br />HlSTO~,IC FLOODS
<br />
<br />Location
<br />
<br />Cry,tdl Rivpr at Marble
<br />Crystal River near Redston"
<br />Carbonate Cr\'ek at Marble
<br />Cart\ondt.l' Cree~ at M"role
<br />Cry s td I R i ,er Il('d r I~e<l S to ne
<br />Crys td I K i ~er nedr R,'dS tone
<br />C"J"L~l Ri ,," ""d" Re~,t()n"
<br />Cry~tdl River Jl1o~e Avalandw Crl''''
<br />rhompson Creek 1l~~ r (orbundd le
<br />Thompsu" Cn'ek near Cdrbonddlc
<br />Cry<;tdl Hi.er Jllo,e A~dlandl~ Creek
<br />Cry,tdl Ri.pr,ltl'l,JCita
<br />Crystol ~nt'r dllo~e Ava\cl~ch(, Vr-ek
<br />Ilut<.hCreek (trit:>.of (odl Creek)
<br />
<br />.S ~ S~D>'I: OR . r~ln
<br />.. indirectflowestillldte-
<br />? flooding source or di >ch,'rqe un~nO\,n
<br />
<br />~lr. Charlc, Tholflas, son ot Chdrles nlU"'J~ '~l1tl \lid, <1 homestp.d~er "nd c<lttle-
<br />'lO<In, r,\n sl,p,'!, for "'Ort' tlodn 2~ yeJrs alo'HJ the Crys tdl ><i ~er. He rememllered
<br />till' 1'J4~ tlood b<'Crluse he ,,~s c.lught in ,-ldrl>l~ and lIau to led~'" nis car ther~
<br />tor lU dJYs until the rOdd could ~to reopened. I"" said tn1t four y~ars of
<br />drought <luring the Ileprt'5sion cause<l much ot the ~~gctation to ,jie allowing
<br />many mud slides and largp coul ders to be roll e~ do..n into the ri~er during
<br />tM~ occasional hed~Y rain or cl O~dburst.
<br />
<br />During thp. c\OlJdbur~t of ;'ugU'it K. 1941, a bl 9 rock rolled da~n. ,aught wIder
<br />the bridg~ on Carbonate Cred ~n<1 pig~y-lldcked the lJridge OO>'ln to the ",di~
<br />~trt'.'t ot lown. 1M damaqe cduS~d by this flood i'. thought to lJ<: u,e fi"dl
<br />
<br /> ~"'~~
<br />Drainag", Area DischJrge
<br />(sq. mi.) Source" (CTS)
<br />74.3 S 29dl)
<br />U'~ S 44lJIJ
<br />~.l , ,
<br />5.1 , ,
<br />:'<'9 S 3%1J
<br />Wi S J%U
<br />cl') S ~! \ u
<br />IS; " nilU
<br />iiJ S') liJU
<br />lb , tiN
<br /> ,
<br />1,7 S :!law
<br />I ~l , 1'J4J
<br />Ibl " 17",/
<br />1.1 " lGJ~"
<br />
<br />"is.,~tf'()U~ lllu'~ lu j-dll ..m Lh~ ~...:;,-,no,nk~::y str1ckcn cO;,.C:l'n:~,. of j~J~~!:.
<br />
<br />Il,p IIli I \ ~ .''''1 ",.wlll., 'l"drr'y were (I "sed d te'~ n\(Jr:tll, ,1fttor the tlno'] ann h,w':
<br />
<br />"t'~"" n~"jll'",'d.
<br />
<br />tlII'C 10 th,- 1,IHU' ~ wnen ,j ;IOrt'Url
<br />
<br />"ls()r"mCllllle'.l'<lhcdrlngot tI,e
<br />dlJOve tilt' w~H eM of l<l.lrl\le
<br />
<br />I~T',. Orlosky
<br />ot the cliff
<br />
<br />:lrflke '" f d~I<$,,,ng up
<br />
<br />thl! lry,tal
<br />tnruugn th~
<br />
<br />K i ~eT". I t >la, two yedrs betQre the r j ver coul d work J cn.nnc 1
<br />sl i<Je d'H! flool dgain into tl,e Crystdl Ri ~cr Valley.
<br />
<br />,\ rl'cel\t cloudbur,t occurrc'u o~er tile Coal Cr~ek '.'Her;heo on J"ly 2", j'j77,
<br />(sti"'dte, of t1o'~, dn<l ddln~g~S 'Nerc r<"p()rt"~ hy thc U.S. i'oruH s"nice oTJ
<br />tt:~ :.1ia-Contin"ot ro~1 J'll! Coke CUUl!)d"Y. It ~JS C'<;tl,ndVd tn~t d ;:./ s'1udre
<br />",,1.: Jr~d ot tnc' South Fork of uutcn Cr~ek {a triDuury ot ~o~l (:.-,,"')
<br />prU!l"i;~d J ;Jl'J~ rlool \>t I,uuu ~h. A ~ub;;tao1tia\ ~~rll()n ur th,; flv"
<br />conSisted ut :nud ,]n~ '!~hr:s. Unc rOJa elTIbankl~ent thdt '~"~ ~1'':Volll'd j(J t"Pt
<br />dl)OH' tile streJII)b~d 11<1<1 tilt.' ',"dll culvert !)Iugge(j with dpbri,. '>ul",,<.;ucn:ly,
<br />t<1P St'Olment dn:",,,ul~k<1 to tnp top uf tn", l'''U""<",~,,t ""J '''~f',...~~~d ;1...
<br />
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