<br />D~acriptions of selected floods are given to Lllustrate fioou
<br />ch~racterlstics. )loot of the hist"rlcal flood naua~ive is tak"a [m",
<br />USGS !.Iate..- Supply Pap'H 997 "l'loods in Colo..-ad,,'. by F"ol13nsbee :lnd
<br />S""y~r, 1948.
<br />
<br />llistodanAMel Watrous "rote of the 18&4 flood:
<br />
<br />FioOd of June 1891. The fai1~r~, 9 June 1891, of the "ast~way at
<br />the Chambers Lake Reaeevoir on the head"aters of ~he Cache 1a Poudre
<br />RIver caused a severe flood on that river. AccordIng ~o the local
<br />ne"spape<, tho break ~as apparently c~~scd by 1ncrefrscd m€lting of the
<br />~ountaLn sno~, due to the "arm weather a fcl~ days beforc. This flood
<br />destroyed the recorder at the gaging st"ticn near th" "",~th of the
<br />canyon, henc" nC officl"l record is available. The water cOllllld.sioner,
<br />"ho",," the observer, stated that th" peak dlachargc"as about 21,000
<br />c.f. s. This utimate "as evidently based on a high ~"te~ OIark.
<br />
<br />flood of June 1864. An ('~~~a heavy sno"p,lek auglllented by "
<br />rainstormon9June18&4r"oultedinfloodingontheCachelaPoudre
<br />Rivet.
<br />
<br />.'FortCollins... OOle8 1tsorlginand flrst place on the llIap to
<br />the interventIon of a flood in the Cache la Poudre River. This flood
<br />occurr"d on the 11l.S~ days of )lay and Hrst dsys of June 1864 and is
<br />said to have been the "'''rst kno"n by whit.. men. The "ater.
<br />inundated the valley frow bluff to ~luf{ "ith " torrent that carried
<br />everythio8 oot firillly attached to the "oil "ith 1~.
<br />
<br />The Fort Collins Courier, i3 its Issue of 11 Jun" 1891, gives the
<br />follo"ing account of this flood:
<br />
<br />..About 4 p.... June 9, the"at"r.up<'!eintend"nt"as not1f1edthat a
<br />terrific f1aod was rUBhing dawn the (CaChe 1a) Poudre eanyon carryIng
<br />everythingbefQrelt.
<br />
<br />'.It card"d out the tall bridge at Laporte "t a U:ne "hen the move-
<br />mentof ellltgraUon ""st"'"rd "as thehe1lvteatand=reth.an200ellli_
<br />grants "ere stalled On thebluffa south of Laporte. . .Onth..9thof
<br />J~ne, an ~xtr>l"~rl'["~,..y rsinst?n: oct I" On "h~ "at"r~h..d of the upper
<br />p"rtof therlver,rnclt"d the sno", 1n the higher altitude, and an
<br />enorn>ous v~lume of \oIater hden ;;ith drlft~ood, poured into the al.eady
<br />.",ollen Ch,'\1n"l, and the ~ullen rOar of the rushing stream ao it burst
<br />out. Qf th.. ""nyon ",16 hMrd for a long dhtanc... Dn reachIng th~
<br />plains, the "'nH ~pread Out and submcrw'd tbe botto:n lands from bluff
<br />to bluff to.1depthof ""veral feet. Th"ator",occurr"d In the ":tt'r-
<br />nOOn and the raging torrent . . . s~ep~ down through th" sold:t..r.. camp
<br />(H Laporte) 1n the night ~lLOo~~ ~L"ho\l~ '-'arnLng . . . the c"mpgrounds
<br />were <:omplHe I)" aub[Jlerged "nu on1)" th~ ",...,fs of the cab~l1s . . . ~ere
<br />vLsibl~ . . . 'ortun~tely, "" lives wre bn, but ther~ ~.~re sever..l
<br />"arr,)~' e,;c~p~. hy ~he "ctrle'" on C:,~ ~ottC:Il lands."
<br />
<br />'.OncametheLlllld, rushtngtorrent to'lI1rd the plains, with deafening
<br />r.oar bridges, fences,headgates, bul1dingll,cattle, andhoraes
<br />wereaweptintothe... flood.
<br />
<br />"The island be 10'" the LaPorte bridge. . . "a. completely
<br />submerged, the ~ater covering the floor of )lr. Nugent's h use to a
<br />depth of2 1/2 f"et.
<br />
<br />..The flood reachcd the rallroad':lddgenorthof the ctty (Fort
<br />
<br />Collins) about 5 p.~.
<br />
<br />The bo~temland. b~t;;een ~he ~itlrace ~nd
<br />
<br />river were nearly all under "ater. Th~ meado~$ and flcld. On the north
<br />and east ~1de of the rlvH "ere flceded,
<br />
<br />..An eye "Hnes" of the flood as it bro'<s ~hrou8h th" Poudrs <:~t\yon
<br />"~y; the w.1lt of "s,''''- ~'n" tully to) (~ct high ~"d th", lo<:s ""d nees
<br />"er~ tossed ~bOl1t lL~e t"~ig5.'
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