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<br />Flood of Friday, September 2, 1938
<br />
<br />The following facsimile from the Greeley Tribune shows that to~~
<br />residents '",ere given ",":\~ ~arning of the impcndinlj flood. :-10 issues or
<br />the Erie Herald which may describe this event frorn a local p~r"pe~tive
<br />~ould be found.
<br />
<br />The flood of September 2, 1938 began about 10:30 p.m. and ~a. caused
<br />by cloudbursts in the mo~ntains and foothills west of Louisville.28 8y
<br />slope-area mea3~rements, the Corps estimat~d the peak discharee for this
<br />flood to be 3,500 cfs, .Iightly higher than the one in 1935.29 Eye.-~itnesse"
<br />of the flood reported ~hat the depth of flooding waS again about 2i feet
<br />lower than the flood of 1921.30 FlOOd damages reported by the Corps werc
<br />n
<br />as follows:
<br />
<br />Facsimile article from the Greeley tribune of September 3, t938.
<br />
<br />FLOOD DRIVES ERIE RESIDENTS FROM HOMES
<br />
<br />Above Superior
<br />I" Superior
<br />Superior to Erie
<br />In Erie
<br />
<br />$ 6,820
<br />8,770
<br />23,390
<br /><\2,890
<br />10,720
<br />
<br />I
<br />i
<br />.
<br />,
<br />
<br />Erie, Sept. 2. -- Two hOUr warning frOm Louisville made
<br />possible evacuation of some 20 families from the Coal
<br />Creek bottoms in the lower part of this town Friday
<br />night. The homes were flooded by the torrent that
<br />struck Erie at 10,30 p.m., the result Of a cloudburst
<br />in the hills west Of Louisville. The high water that
<br />poured thrOugh the business section, filling, roost
<br />basements, continued until morning. At about 10,30 a.m.,
<br />the water was receding.
<br />Stock stOred in the basements Of the Elzi Drugstore
<br />and the Wilson grocery was damaged.
<br />Mayor M. W. Padfield estimated the flood damage at
<br />"Several thousand dollars."
<br />Bridges between Erie and LOngmont were out, but
<br />bridges north of Erie were okeh during the mOrning,
<br />Rain had ceased at 10,30 a.m. hut weather remained
<br />cloudy.
<br />
<br />llelowErie
<br />
<br />'IDTAL
<br />
<br />$92,590
<br />
<br />The office of the State Engineer described the flood of 1938 1" the Coal
<br />
<br />Creek basin as follows,
<br />
<br />Coal Creek, whiCh drains the territory adjacpnt to
<br />South Boulder Creek, experieneed a large flood b~t damage
<br />..as confin..d to bridges and roads. There is little
<br />f~r~ing ~rea along the creek after it leaves the canyon
<br />until itd<.'scends into the plains area so that the peak
<br />had spread out and &lowed down, th~s passing through the
<br />channel with minor flooding of banks. 32
<br />
<br />28 ~ u .
<br />u.~. ..ng1neer
<br />
<br />Office, Appendix II, page 29.
<br />
<br />Sometimc followin~ rhi" flood, the Corp~ of Engin~..rs initiated dn
<br />investigation on the fea5ibility of constructing a flood control ~roject
<br />.H. Erie. Tn Fr'bru"ry 1944, plan5 ~~re drawn IIp for a proposed levee de-
<br />~ igned to protect the to"", from .. 100-y~"r flQ"d. Th is dike wa,< "rV"r
<br />built although a smaller dike appears to have been construct~d along Kat~ell
<br />Street prior to 1944, as shown in Figure_I. The Katt~ 11 Street dike w".
<br />
<br />29.,"-"
<br />lul.
<br />
<br />30.v,
<br />lol.
<br />
<br />Appendix IV, pHge 24.
<br />
<br />subs('qu<!ntly remov"d in 1971-72 when a short rrach
<br />~h~"n~J ~~j.'~"nt t" Eri,. wa< .~i~"",.~ t~ h~~,ne ,)<"
<br />
<br />0[ thc Ceal Crcek
<br />33-31.
<br />100-yearfl'-,"d.
<br />
<br />31ibid.
<br />32L.t. Burgess, "Report of Floods i~ South Pla~te River Tnbutaries
<br />during September, 1938." in T~cnty~ainth Biennial Report of the Stat"
<br />Engineer; (Denver, Colorado) 1939,page 355.
<br />
<br />-31-
<br />
<br />33$O~iology 4nd Hi.tory ~l~$s~g of Erie High Schoot, Edition 2, P~ge 27.
<br />
<br />348il1 Hughe~. "E.-'.. Flood Study." Ray MId lI.s"ciate~ (BoUlder, Colorado),
<br />J~nuary 12, 1918, page :.
<br />
<br />3?-
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