<br />I
<br />
<br />I
<br />
<br />I
<br />
<br />higher than it ~as the day before, the current covered the D~RC Rail-
<br />road yard with several feet and filled the lo~er part of the station...
<br />The river flowed through and across the fish pond sod s~imrning pool fill-
<br />1ng them"ith silt and sand".
<br />
<br />I
<br />
<br />rocky silt, ctmscd it [0 rise ",ithou[ jllmping the banks for a [1",c."
<br />
<br />I
<br />
<br />I
<br />
<br />On July 2, 1973, the Ouray County Platodealer reported the most recent
<br />serious flooding. "It came in like sangbusters at ":30 P.~. Sunday, a
<br />ripping, roaring, frightening cloudburst accompanied by lightning,
<br />thunder, ..tod and heavy hail. After less than a h.,lf hour of hellralsing,
<br />the storm swept out again, having deposited 0.94 inches of precipitation
<br />..hieh sent Cascade Flurne into flaooing chaos..... TheheavyrLlnofffrot'l
<br />Cascade Creek thundered cleanly down the flume across town until the de-
<br />scent leveled off near the Uncompahgre River. There it clogged quickly,
<br />and debris backed up about 300 feet to the Main Street underp3ss. V~cant
<br />lots received the ",orst of it, and ""ere flooded all the way to the r ivcr."
<br />
<br />I
<br />
<br />ThcAugust2, 1929 Ouray Herald added the follo",Jingdetails, "t"oof the
<br />most terrific storms ever witnessed in the history of Ouray, co~ing less
<br />than two days apart, caused damage to property and roads estimated to be
<br />near $150,000, and Ouray today is digging out of piles of debris consist-
<br />ing of rocks, trees, lumber, bridges, logs and mud. A third storm on the
<br />third day ",as mild, but added to the damage done by the cloudbursts of the
<br />, .-
<br />previous aya.
<br />
<br />I
<br />
<br />I
<br />
<br />I
<br />
<br />I
<br />
<br />Minor cloudburst and heavy rains continued to occur within the study area
<br />watershedbutnolllajor floodingwaa experienced until 1951. On August 4th
<br />of that year the Montrose Daily "!'ress reported "The Cem City of the Rockies
<br />waa clearing away the debris of its worst flood in 22 years Friday and its
<br />residents were somewhat apprehensive of a repeat performance of the water
<br />spout that struck late Thursday afternoon to send torrents of water, mud,
<br />rocks and logs rolling down normal dryw"shes and city thoroughfarca ."
<br />
<br />I
<br />
<br />The obscrvations of Mr. 'Gallaghcr were substantiated during this storm >lith
<br />the Flalndealcr glving this account. "The flume blockage created a phenom-
<br />enon not often Seen. For some time after the flume becamc plugged all the
<br />way from the river to Main Street Bridge, water was running about two feet
<br />abovegroundlevelinaneatpathasifbetweeninviaiblewalls,fort",enty
<br />feet before it spread out where land leveled off. This apparently occurs
<br />because as the flume is filled with ailt, gravel and other fine dcbris,
<br />the water is coming down with such force that it squeezed up through the
<br />gunk but its momentum keeps it running on Course for a time, ",ithin walls
<br />that aren't there."
<br />
<br />I
<br />
<br />I
<br />
<br />I
<br />
<br />I
<br />
<br />It was then another 14 yeara until Ouray was onCe again struck by heavy
<br />flooding. TheJuly7,19650urayCountyHeraldreported"Aclo\ldbursthigh
<br />up Portland and Cascade Creeks Sunday nightw"shed down tons of ro cks, trees
<br />and mud from the mountain sides east of town. Both creeks run through town
<br />in cement flumes. These soon became plugged with debris and the water flow-
<br />ed across parts of town, through a number of hones. Ouray began cleaning
<br />up its meSa late Sundny evening, work continued without interruption through
<br />the night and all day Monday. (Then on Tueaday), a heavy rain started fall-
<br />ing at 9 o'clock and by 11 Portland Creek "'a~ again floorlinr,. It burst ant
<br />of its Il~" channel and cut acruss town in seoHal p1"ces, flooding rr.any
<br />homesthathadpreviou$lyeseaped." Damag"s from these storooswas conslder-
<br />able and relief funda amounting to $20,292 for repair of the flumes and
<br />restor..UonoftheaffectedareaswerereceivedfromtheFederalOHieeof
<br />Emergency Preparedness.
<br />
<br />I
<br />
<br />I
<br />
<br />Dcspitc the frequency and ferocity of the fL~sh Hoods throughout the study
<br />area, loss of human life has been surprisingly rare. Only four incidents
<br />were uncovered, three in 1906 and one in 1927. The June 1, 1906 Ouray
<br />Herald recordod "A dOLld is belicved to have burst and swelled Fors",an
<br />Creek into a raSing flood that bore down logs, trees, and earth and tore
<br />Ollt the fraU hridge structure leavIng the track ,""spended on ties twcnty
<br />fect above." Train engineer James O'~eil dced \<Ihen his enginc phmged in-
<br />to the cha"mbefore he could bring it to a stop. taterthntsamnyear, two
<br />rainerswerefound dead in a a,nalladit. TheAugust3,19060urayHerald
<br />gave the following account' "Evidently they had taken refuge from the rain
<br />in this tunnel and a cloudburst on the mountain above had caused a torrent
<br />of water to come down che little gulch beside which the tunnel is located,
<br />carrying debris which filled the little tunnel almost to the breast.....
<br />The men could not possibly have lived but a few moments aftcr the torrent
<br />washed in th" debris, as tbe space remaining w.~s quite small and was in .,11
<br />pr<>babilityalmost or completely filled with water."
<br />The 1927 casualty was reported in the August 5th Montrose ~nterprise aa
<br />f<>U"ws. "B..lieved to be a victim of the recent high waters, the b"dy of
<br />Henry Cuddigan, 50, a rancher, ~as found in a field near his ~abin. The
<br />field bas been flooded by the creek (Uncompahgre), which had overfiowed its
<br />banks Wednesday night."
<br />
<br />I
<br />
<br />I
<br />
<br />I
<br />
<br />I
<br />
<br />I
<br />
<br />I
<br />
<br />I
<br />
<br />Although repairs were mode they did not stem the tide of future floods as
<br />the area was hit hard in 197I and again in 1973. The Ouray County Plain-
<br />dealer'sSeptember2,197ieditiondeseribedthefollowingflood. "Heavy
<br />doudhursta Friday aftern"on ",,"sed most t>f ,,"'hitehouse}lountain'a east drain-
<br />age to cut loose in a flooding rampage, down on Ouray and the area north of
<br />tOwo. Considerable damage was done by Oak Creek, Corbett Creek, Coal Creek
<br />and Forsman Creek, to roads, water and sewer lines, though yards, patiOS,
<br />basements and hayfields got their share of flooding from vafious sOurces....
<br />According to the oldtimcrs in Ouray, Oak Creek has kept its temper stnce
<br />1929 but it did a ,ood deal of da",aae Friday. At one time, it plugged the
<br />. 0 kk'-
<br />Uncompahgre with large boulders and debris, and made a temporary a e.
<br />
<br />I
<br />
<br />I
<br />
<br />I
<br />
<br />I
<br />
<br />I
<br />
<br />I
<br />
<br />I
<br />
<br />Dur:lngthis storm an interesting phe"omenon was reported l>y a loca 1 resident,
<br />TomCallagber, whenh<, observf'd thc ".aters of Oak Cr<,,,k running a bov.,its
<br />banks. His inte"prt>t.~tion \<Ias that "the heaviness of the rUIloff of mucky,
<br />
<br />I
<br />
<br />I
<br />
<br />I
<br />
<br />I
<br />
<br />I
<br />
<br />-18-
<br />
<br />I
<br />
<br />-19-
<br />
|