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I I I I I I I I I I I I I I ~ -~- magnificent rainbow across the sky and sheets of rain turned into silver streaks, earthward bound. Rivulets were born on the hillsides, little streams grew to be miniature, muddy torrents, and the rivers receiving them soon became crashing, rolling, overflowing instruments of destruction. From June 1 until Ju~e 16, Summit County had only one day with- out heavy rain. On t,he 16th the threatening skies literally split wide open. ThE! rain fell in sheets which windshield wipers couldn't handle, water couldn't run down hillsides as fast as it poured from the skies, rivers raged and overran their banks and deep puddles of muddy water appeared in every depression and low spot. Latei~ the afternoon, the rain set- tled down to a steady, pounding downpour. The first indication l:hat there was real trouble came with a call for help from Quandary Lodge, approximately eight miles south of Breckenridge,. about 9 p.m. Culverts at Quandary (normally carrying only a small trickle of water) couldn't handle the accumulated runoff from the rain, and the roads were washing out. A large stream of water ran beside Highway 9 toward Breckenridge, undermining the side of the road until it reached the Joe Schneider stables, where it ran through the stables, and back into the Blue River. The Blue, coursing badly through the town of Breckenridge, could actually be seen steadily rising in its banks. Culverts under the road at Watkins and Lincoln had become completely submerged with water. Barricades were erected at the Watkins crossing to close the road to traffic, and by 11 p.m. the water was running over the top of the road. Councilmen and Marshal Pastorius sloshed around through the mud, des- paired at the persistent downpour of rain, but concluded that the culvert at the Lincoln crossing seemed to be handling the water fairly well at the time. I I I I I The morning of the 17th dawned clear and bright, to reveal where the Watkins crossing had been, only a gaping hole. The 'road going to the Valley Brook cemetery, one-half mile north of Breckenridge, had also disappeared into a gulley 20 feet across. The culvert which had carried water under the road in French Gulch, just east of the Breckenridge dump, was gone, leaving a yawning abyss about 30 feet deep. A long stretch of the Boreas Pass road was washed out. As noon approached, clouds started drifting in and breaking up, and more rain fell. The river again started rising, and backing up to flood the Lincoln crossing. The Breckenridge water crew (usually working and fighting to keep water flowing around town) fought far into the night to hold back the water and save the street crossing, working until the day's crest had passed. The sun shone warm on Friday, melting snow in