FLOOD09001

• Designation Number: 189
• County: Fremont
• Community: Unincorporated Fremont County
• Stream Name: Arkansas River
• Basin: Arkansas
• Title: Floodplain Information Report - Arkansas River in Fremont County, Canon City and Florence, Colorado, Volume I
• Date: 6/1/1982
• Designation Date: 4/1/1982
• Floodplain - Doc Type: Floodplain Report/Masterplan

Total damage wi11 probably be around S50,OOO, it was
estimated.

In Canon City a hard downpour
aided in raising tneArkansas.
to overflowing its banks west
over in the region of the Hynes
the Santa FeOepotyards.
At one time water stood six inches deep on the north
bankS of the river in that vicinity. Ties and other
wooden materials Wl!re floated away.

soaked this r€gion and
The River, in addition
of First Street, swept
ice plant and down into

A South Canon residential section in the 300 block on
Riverside Avenue was swept by three feet of water about
6 p.m. Sunday, when the Arkansas River broke through a
stone retaining wall.
The water flOOded the homes Of Herbert Ounn, F.L. Smith,
Charles Stokes, Orville Stevens, Troy Fulton and C.O.
Hardesty. Rugs and furniture WE're severely damaged,
gardens and lawns covered with four inches of silt.
Twenty chickens at the Hardesty home were drowned.
Automobiles were stalled.

On East main Street in front of the Abbey, water stood
18 inches deep after the ditch overflowed. Barns,
garage and chemistry buidlng had water on the first
floor. The basements of the sisters' residence and the
residencebuildingattnesouthedgeofthegroundswere
flooded.

In East Canon, an irrigation ditch broke its banks,
swept an 18-inch wall of water through the Holy Cross
Abbey grounds, filling the basements of three build1ngs
and causing damage to the grove and fields.
More than 300 feet of Rio Grande ral1road track in the
Royal Gorge...asswepta...ayunderthewall of water that
poured down the Arkansas. A ZOO-foot stretch was under~
mined just west of famed hanging bridge and the other
100 feet washed away nearParkdale. The railroad bridge
overCurrantCreek...astakenout.
All traffic over the line ...as suspended at 7 p.m.
Emergency cn!ws were rushed here fromsalida and Pueblo,
worked throughout the night and Monday. Temporary
cribbingwdsput in place and trafficwasreslll11edMonday
afternoon. Pennanent repairs will take several days.
Passenger trains wen! held at Salida and Pueblo,
Garden land in southeastern Canon City and at8rewster
...as flooded with total loss to produce. 1.E. Cook,
Canon City produce man lost an estimated $1,500 in
celery. He also lost spray rigs and materials.
In western Fremont County the cloudbursts took out the
Copper GulCh road for the second time in less than a
month. The Currant Creek road...asalso badly washed in
~pnts.
Small rock slides occurred on U.S. Highway 50 npar
Parkdale and just east of Salida. Traffice was delayed,
although the road was never c011pletelyblocked, Dozens
of cars througllout this region were stopped when water
got in the motors.
The heavy downpour extended to the Penrose di ~trlct and
SCll1e crop damJge was reported. Roads were turned into
pathsOfmud,buttrave1 wdsnothillted.

As1 de from the damage to the Rio Gr~nd€ track s, the
greatest loss was probably to the flOOded South Canon
residential area.
The water In the Arkansas undennined part of the rock
retaining wall, permitting a break. It swept through
there and into a low region occurpied by the half-dozen
h(llles. The w~ter rose seadily for 10 minutes until it
was three feet deep, It swept into basements, covered
gardens and lawns, finally crept above foundations and
went into the homes themselves.

A ditch was finally opened dnd the water receded, but
not until extensive damage had been caused. Residents
Monday were digging out,
The "flash" flood down the Arkansas lasted only 40
minutes. It rose rapidly about 5:30, receded almost ~s
quickly after the 1nitial rush of water had passed, but
wdSstill up Monday, although below flood stages.
County roads crews Wl!re at work Monday repairing the
Copper Gulch and Currant Creek roads. Cars were stuck
in both roads, but were freed Monday.
The Sunday afternoon cloudburst swept much of the west
end of the county, lightened somewhat around the Canon
City area, ~lthough this section had a heavy downpour
the force of the stOnT1WaS spentsas it moved east past
Florence and Portland.
In the Portland lowlands, water ran across Highway 5Q
for a brief time, but it was not deep enough to seri-
ously interfere with travel. H1ghway Patrolman Ray B.
$turbaum spent much of Sunday night aiding stalled
motorists west of here. He and highway wOrkers also
labored to clear out rock slides.

14

15