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Cross through our local repre- sentativea, P.L. Thompson and R. G.Holt, for food and clothing. Friday evening supplies ~erc sent out by airplane to Elbert and Kiowa. Saturdaymornings large crew of CCC boys were sent out to begin work on the flood etrickenarcas and from the same iS8ue under "Eli.~abeth News". ELIZABETH Another m~Jor flood, which affected nearly all of eastern Colorado, occurred June 16-17, 1965. Severe flooding waS recorded all around the Eliza- beth area, but again the Town of Elizabeth did not experience a major flow in Running Creek. Descriptions of this cvent are excerpted below. ! I I , i Out c~unity received very little moisture on June 16th, andnostotlllda.....ge for which we are grateful, as the commu- nities at Elbert and Kiowa to the cast of here and the Frank- tOIoll\, Castle Rock and Parker areas west of us, all were in the disaster area, with much storm and flood damage being done by the cre..ks to meadow land and homes. Much property damage waS done. and several lives lost, in the terrific storm. From the "ELBERT COUNTY NEWS" TlH.luday, June 24,1965 rLOOQSWEO., THUR., JUNE 16-17, 1965 A number of long timc residents were interviewed to obtain more specific facts concerning past floods on Running Creek. The persons interviewed were as follows: Wednesday, June 16, 1965, from about 2 p.m., when a tornado hit Palmer Lake, letting loose a day long rain. WateraaccWllulated from the runoff down through East Plum Creek and West Plum Creek,variousgulches, conver- ging at south entrance of Castle Rock, washed out all bridge. en- route. Cherry Creek gathered mOre Water aided by various gulches cnrout" west Park"r and On into the Cherry Creek Dam. Flooded Plum Creek emptied into the Platte and continued washing out bridges, buiLdings, down thrm,gh Denver. Thursday, June 17,1965, tornado ...arnings in Castle Rock werC issued but wind blew the threatening cloudS east into the Elbert-Kio...a area where the skies dWllped n deluge in the Kiowa C-.:'cck-Eaat Bijo" Creek and various gulches, creeksanroute north about 6,00 p.m. in mean- time, about 1,30p.... a tornado had dumped tons of water in the Focmtain area, sending ...aters cascading down the flooding Arkansas River east through Pueb 10. . Mr. MerleR. Adams (resident: 70+yeau) . ... Emil R. Bostrom (rcsident: 50+ years) . Hr. Warren ,. Gsrland (resident: 6O+year8) . Mr. Harold ,. Hundley (resident: 50. years) . ". Ceorge ,. McClellan (resident: 70+ years) Labeled the "greatest calamity inColorad"history",theflo"ds rolled throL.lgh Nebraska and Kan- saSOut of Colorado. At sa..nc time floods ...ere reported origi- lwting in New ~kxico also. since the specific rec"ll~ction$ of each person interviewed were gcnernlly ~n ~Breement, the comments are summarized in the following statements: Wooden bridges prior to 19J5. across Running Creek were washed out several time. The bridges ...ere wooden trestle types nnd were 30me- what shorter and had lessclesranee than later bridge.. Oebri$ jamming waS ~t least a partinl CauSe of bridge failures. pier scour and overtopping probably combim'd tn callse the 1935 bridge fail.- ure. -19- -18~