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I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I From "The Meeker Herald" Saturday, June 18, 1921 WHITE RIVER HIGH On Wednesday and Thursday, White River rose sixteen inches and the river reached what we believe to be a record high water mark. A great deal of low meadow land is flooded along the river. On Wednesday the culvert bridge at Thompson's just beyond the main river bridge was washed out . . . The road beyond the bridge should have several more culverts or a long trestle in order to take care of the volume of water which runs that way during high water. From "The Meeker Herald" Thursday, July 4, 1957 WHITE RIVER ON RAMPAGE WITH HIGHEST WATER THIS WEEK Delbert Pollard Bridge Out Monday; Others In Danger; Meeker Water Line Damaged The White River is really on the rampage with the highest water that has been recorded for many years; in fact the younger generation cannot remember when the river was running this high. The river came up the first week in June and most people thought it had reached its crest at that time. A colder spell followed and the river dropped. The past ten days have been warm and the snow in those higher mountains is melting fast and the river started to rise again last week. It rose steadily each day until the first of the week. We don't think it is any higher since Sunday but it remains about the same crest. Up the river a number of bridges have been in danger and on Monday of this week the bridge at the Delbert Pollard ranch went out. The ranchers have been working hard to save a lot of bridges and rip-rapping to keep the raging water from cutting thru their fields. -5- North Fork and South Fork are both running and it looks like high water is going to last this year until the last of July. Usually the high water is past before July 4th and the river is low and clear for fly fishing but not this year. In many places you need a row boat to get to the main river channel. Thru Meeker the river cut away about fifty feet of the north bank at the foot of Sixth street and the river is running wild over in the meadow of Mr. Weaver Barrett across from town. The pump that serves the Highland cemetery had to be taken out and the pump house was demolished. The road off the cemetry hill to the old light plant has been mostly washed away. What is true above Meeker is also true most of the way to Rangely. John Oldland has most of the river over his ranch and has had to do a lot of work to save his bridge. All the rivers of the state are higher than usual. This last week Buena Vista had heavy damage when their town was flooded. The Roaring Fork is the highest in years and is washing the Glenwood-Aspen highway. The Gunnison River is the highest this year and over its banks in Delta and other towns. An orchard near Clifton lost a lot of fruit trees. The same story is everywhere as the unusual heavy spring snowfall starts to melt. The cold May held back the early runoff and now with the hot weather of late June and early July it's really rolling. The whole picture brings out the need for storage reservoirs in the higher country which could retain some of this water and put it to beneficial use later on rather than the damage it is now doing.