<br />North St. Vrain & St. Vrain Creeks
<br />Floodplain Update
<br />
<br />Town of Lyons
<br />
<br />North St. Vrain & St. Vrain Creeks
<br />Floodplain Update
<br />
<br />Town of Lyons
<br />
<br />Excerpts from the article appearing in: "Longmont Ledger"
<br />Friday-June 10,1921
<br />
<br />1938 FLOOD
<br />Longmont Times-Call
<br />Saturday, September 3, 1938
<br />
<br />The Great Rain
<br />
<br />Two Bridges On 52 Are Out
<br />
<br />To tell the story of the great rain of Friday, June 3, and the night following, one hardly knows where to commence or
<br />stop,
<br />
<br />Two bridges on Highway 52, constructed during the past year, have been washed out by the high waters making
<br />travel on this highway to the County line impassable, These bridges will have to be replaced, The approaches to the
<br />bridges were also damaged, But otherwise the oiled highway was not damaged,
<br />
<br />The heavy rain commenced about 2 o'clock Friday afternoon, and by the next morning 4.4 inches had fallen and by
<br />Monday morning 5,39, according to the sugar company's records, The first section of rain was short but hard",
<br />
<br />Traffic over the St. Vrain bridge south of the sugar factory was dangerous Saturday morning as it way feared it might
<br />be carried away,
<br />
<br />The great mass of water was caused by the overtiow of ditches which swept through the city from northwest to
<br />southeast, and after reaching Main Street ran down Fifth Avenue to the alley from Fifth Avenue to Fourth Avenue
<br />between Kimbark and Emery Streets,
<br />
<br />The river dam south of the sugar factory, from which water is secured during the campaign had been washed out.
<br />
<br />The auditorium has perhaps suffered the most. Right in line of the overtiow of water from the northwest it was soon
<br />in the middle of a flowing lake, and the inside of the auditorium filled with water,
<br />
<br />Longmont Times-Call
<br />Saturday, September 3, 1938
<br />
<br />By Tuesday morning, more rain had fallen and the factory records showed a fall of moisture of 5,87 inches,
<br />
<br />Scores Of Families Flee Homes In Night As Flood Strikes Longmont
<br />
<br />A bridge over a dry creek on the main road south sunk, but some real trouble occurred at the main bridge over the St.
<br />Vrain,
<br />
<br />Scores of families along the St. Vrain River near Longmont were driven from their homes Friday night when that
<br />stream, swollen by cloudbursts in the mountain district, went out of its banks and flooded the low lands from First
<br />Avenue south,
<br />
<br />The Peterson bridge a coupie of miles east of Lyons is in bad shape one end of approach having been washed out
<br />the same way only worse. It is on the road from Lyons to Boulder and cannot be used,
<br />
<br />Another flood rolled into Longmont from the north, covered Roosevelt Park athletic field with nearly three feet of
<br />water, filled basements in more than a hundred residences and places of business in the north and east sections of
<br />Longmont.
<br />
<br />The big bride about five miles east of Longmont over the St. Vrain after its junction with Boulder Creek has gone out.
<br />
<br />The report came to Longmont Wednesday morning that the Foothills Reservoir was in danger, and that a large force
<br />of men with sacks had gone up to mend the damage, There was considerable truth in the rumor for it seems to be a
<br />fact that the ditch that carried the water to this reservoir was full and ordinary means of stopping its flow did not
<br />succeed, so the men were called upon with the sacks to go and stop the ditch, then the reservoir would be safe, The
<br />report was that the creek had changed its course and was flowing into the reservoir, which was not so, If it had been
<br />the reservoir would not have lasted five minutes,
<br />
<br />Highways leading into Longmont from all directions were under water but travel over them was possible at all times
<br />Saturday morning, A number of service stations and other stores on North Main Street and along the highway south
<br />remained closed when flood water covered the pavement from a foot to two feet in depth.
<br />
<br />It has been said that if the ditches had not carried off an immense volume of water before they overtiowed Longmont
<br />would have suffered a great deal more than it did,
<br />
<br />By the overtlow of St. Vrain, Commodore Walker has lost all his buildings and his farm south of the sugar factory,
<br />Barns and sheds went first and then the house commenced to topple over and an allempt was made to save it but of
<br />no avail.
<br />
<br />We have endeavored to obtain an idea as to losses to crops, if any, from excessive rains, and find that there may be
<br />some wheat knocked down, some beet fields flooded so that the extent of damage may come out. We have heard
<br />lillle or no complaint. J,M. Anderson of Longmont reports that he has twenty.five acres of beets on Boulder Creek
<br />that was under water from two to three feet on Tuesday,
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<br />Floodplain Information Report 15
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<br />June 1998
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<br />Floodplain Information Report 14
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<br />June 1998
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