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CHAPTER IV HISTORY OF FLooDINC From the "COU<ITY SEAT NEWS-TRIBUNE" Friday,Auguat4,1933 Historical streamflow records hnve ~ot been collected for the Running Creek basin since normal discharge lS small. Actual floodflow measurements for the area are generally limited to major flows on Cherry Creek and KiMia Creek. Therefore, descriptions of floodflows on Running Creek are qualita- tive in nature. Information on past flood events is based on interviews with long time residents of the area, discussions with town and county officials, newspaper accounts, and published flow data for adjacent streama. KIOWA BIG FLOOD IMMlNSl ~PDUR S~lEPS CHERRY CREEK DISTRICT May 21, 1878 July 28, 1922 August 2-3, 1933 May 30-31, 1935 Aueust5,19',5 July30,1957 June 17, 1965 May 6, 1973 The heavy rain Wednesday night was not an unmixed benefit,prac- ticslly every watercourse in the county reached deatructive flood proportion. Itis not possible at this time to state the number bridge. eithet totally destroyed or temporarily impasaible. It is definitely known that three brid gesonComancheCreek are "out" and th~ bridge here over Kiowa Creek lost its ~est approach. The Main Street is in bad condi- tionby..ashes; several cellars in the lo~er part of town "ere flooded... Castlewood Dam burst through it. ..all at ~.dnight Wednesday when a cloud-burst over the water- Shed above aent a cru.hing force of water into the lake. The re- aulting flood created havoc throughout Cherry Creek valley. Livestock 108ses down the valley were heavy. K. D. Wilson, whose ranch is near the mouth of Cast- lewood canon, lost 10 hocs and 12 head of cattle. Numeroua hay atacks were carried away... Ftow data for Kiowa Creek and Cherry Creek, which is publi.hed 1n a number of U.S. Geological Survey water supply papets, was reaearched to deter- mine poasible concurrent flooding dates for Running Creek. Further investi- gations and interviews focused on these date a which are listed below: The ~st Severe floods ever experienced in the region occurred May 30-31, 1935. Although the ~st Severe da~ge and 108s of life occurred in Kiow" nnd Elbert, the Town of Elizabeth lost the bridge across Running Creek. The follow- ing article recounts the devastation caused by this flood. Approxima~ely twenty different weekly newspapers have been published in eh" Elizabeth-E1bert-Kiowa area since the early 1880's. MAny of the paat is"ue~ of these newspapers have been preserved by ~he Elbert County Hiatorical Sodety and the Cotorado Historicnl Society. The ""wspaper issues I'ublishd withi" tw" wed.s beCore and aner ~he above dates _re researched to dete"",ine From the "COUNTY SEAT NEWS-TRIBUNE" Friday, ~y 31, 1935 the severity of past flooding along Running Creek. ELBERT undKIOWII SW[PT BY fLOOD I Lives Taken By Dro~ning The farmers also ~re heavy los- era atong the creek as livestock was flooded away and the meadowa covered with ~ud and debris. ust2,1933andarercportedinthetollowingarticl"s. Jamage "ccutred in the Eli~abeth are~ even though "ajor th"twobn.in..adja<_,mtto th,'toW'O. App"-r",,tly,llonoo<l flooding cccurred in One of the worst disasters that ever struck this community oc- curred Thur"day when aclo"d- burst .outh of Elbert caused ~ flood to rage through the streets of Elbert bring ins Jes- truction on all .ides and later a1.0 d..vascating th.. town of Kiowa... The bridge at Elizabeth went out 'l1,ursdllyal'ternoon, thus cutting off traffic east of here. Friday a pontoon bridge ..as put in ~ak- ing crossing accessible. Application was made to the Red The first "ajor recorded floods on Kiowa and Cherry CreekS occurred Aug- -16- -17-