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<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.' <br /> <br />., <br />. <br /> <br />" <br />