FLOOD07696

• County: Prowers
• County: Bent
• County: Otero
• Community: Southeastern Colorado
• Stream Name: Arkansas River
• Basin: Arkansas
• Title: The Arkansas River Flood of June 3-5, 1921
• Date: 1/1/2022
• Prepared For: State of Colorado
• Prepared By: USDOI
• Floodplain - Doc Type: Flood Documentation Report

26 THE ARl,ANSAS RIVER FLOOD OF ,JUNE 3-5, 1921.

ahly greater on the 5th than on tl)e_3d. For the earlier period the
meall rate of the flood crests from the tributary streams has hccn
assumed nso ;,5 miles nil hour. On this hasis the followin<Y table hns
h
been computed:

Time of nrri-r:ol of trib"fnt"j/ float! crests ((t Pue/)Io (>II- ,Inno 3-,1. 1921,

.

Strrom.

Dry Creek.._____.. _... _.......... _. _....... _. _......
Blue Ribbon Creek............. ..__. _....... .... P'"
l~::g~~~~~:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: :::
a~:~;~:::~:.~::::::::::: ::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Pecks Cref!k. ............ ...... .......... _... _... .....
8~~g~ol~~o:.~::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: :
Turkey CreeK. ....................... .. _..... .... ...
Rush Creek.................... _._.......... __... _....
~~CR~h~.GUich:::::::::: :::::::::::::: :::::: ::::: ::i
Ritchie Gulch. ............... ......... """ ...... ....
Beaver Creek.. .......................................:
Hardscrabble Creek.............................,....!
Dmsh Hollow Creek.......................:..... .... ..1

~~h~~t~~~~:::: ::::::: :::::::::::::::::::::::: :::.

Oak Creek.. ............... ...........................
Sbnnile Creek........... ......... ................ ....
Chandler Creek.... ........ .......,...................
on Cr..k.................o........,...".... ..,'. _ 0..

DI~tance
from
tribu4
tary to
Pueblo.

Time flood rfe:<;t
en tond river.

Timo flood cr{':'lt
rcnched Pueblo.

~"lile~.
1. 8 10 p. m. June 3.... 10.15 p. m. June 3.
4.2 IIp.m.lune3.... 11.35p.m.Jwlc:l.
4.1~ 11 p. m. litTle 3.... 11.40 p. m. Junc.;].
K2 6.30p.m.Jime3.. 7.35p.m.June3.
9.5 5.45p.m.June3... 7p.m.Jl1ne3.
9.8 Ull.m.JuHe3..... lO.2Qp.J1I.JlIne:l.
11.0 5.30 p. m. June 3... 7 p. m. .JUIlC :J.
12.0 9p.m.J\1llc3..... lO.3.'ip.m.Jllllc:t
J3.!i 9 p. m. June 3..... 10.r,o p. m. J1I1\(, J.
14.2 X.30 p. m. June 3... 10.2.) p. m. J lIIW :1.
16.8 f).30p. In. JUlle3... 7.4;'i p. m. JlIIIC:1.
!9.x Sp.m.Julle3..... 7.-10p.m..Junc:J.
20.0 5p.lll.Julle3..... 1.40p.m.Jnne:i.
22.0 !i p. m. June 3. .... 7 .;j!) p. m. Jnne a.
2r1. 0 7.30 a. m. June 4... 10..I}O a. m. .Junc 4.
28.8 7.30p.m..1une3.. J1.20p.m.JUJlC3.
:U.O 8 p.lO. Jl1no3. .... 12.lOa. m. June 4.
33.5 R.ao p. m. .Tune a.. 1 n. rn. Juno 4.
3.1.5 7p.m.June3..... 1l.35p. m. JUIl(, 3.
3.=).2 7V.m.June3.....11.40p.m.Jt1IHl::l.
35.8 7.30p.rn.June3... 12.15a.m.JulIe4.
3fi.2 7p.m.June3..... llJlOp.m.June3.
40.2 11 p. m. June 3.... 4.20 a. m. June 4.

Apparently the first flood crests to reach Pueblo were those from
Boggs, Pecks, Rush, lmll Red creeks and Fred Rohr and Ritchie
gulches, all tributaries within a distance of 2:; miles. The time of
their arrival was between 7 and 8 p. m. J llne 3, These crests were
probably greatly diminished in volume when they reached Pueblo,
being affected by the natural storage in the river channel. Although
the heavy rains continued during the afternoon and evening, and a
considerable volume of water reached the Arkansas, during that
period, no more flood crests reacher! Pueblo until late in the evening.
From 10 p. m. until midnight the floods :from the tributaries near
Pueblo, which were the streams having the greatest flood discharge,
reached the city. At the same time the flood crests from the most
(list ant tributaries also arrived. As the river-channel storage became
less with increasing stage, the later f1oo(ls must have reached Pueblo
in much more nearly their original volumes than the earlier ones,
The effect of the arrival of all these flood (Tests is shown on the ac-
companying hydrogrn ph (fig. 1, p. 28),

MAXIMUM DISCHAIWE.

The State engineer IIlaintnins a gaging station at the Main Street
bridge in Pueblo, but the gage ",ns entirely destroyed by the flood 0 f