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<br />GENERAL CO\81TIONS AND PAST rLOODS
<br />
<br />ex~ansion of tr~ns~ortetion f~cilitie~ in the .egion. E~ona~ic
<br />dovelopm..nt during and since World '~~r II has been Ch~t"ct6dled
<br />by 6t6~dy growth in the manufact~ring ,~ctbr, continu~nc& of mil-
<br />itary ~Gtivities et the Pueblo Ordin~n~e D~pot, and &xp~nsian cf
<br />supporting m~rcantile ~nd service indu.tries.
<br />Th~ major employers of labor in Pueblo ~re the Colo-
<br />rado rUBl and r ~on Co.po.~tion, P"eblo 0.din8nce D"Pct, and th"
<br />Colar~do St~tB Kospital. M~nuf~cturing extends ta thQ follo~in9:
<br />food and kindred products; lumber and ~ood items; furnitur~ and
<br />fixtures; printing ~nd publi~hing; chBmical products; stone, ~lay,
<br />~nd glees praducts; p~imary ~atal industries and fabricated metal
<br />prodl)cts induding m~chin"ry; aCId othc~ typ~o.
<br />The U.S. Bureau of the Census ~"po~ted a population
<br />of 91,181 in ~rban PU8bl~ and 118,7Q7 in Pueblo County in the
<br />year 1960. Estimated 1968 populations a~co~ding to the Color~do
<br />Budget OnpartmBnt we.e 104,2QO end 119,00G, respectively, in th~
<br />city and county.
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<br />Set~l"m~"t
<br />
<br />Pu"bla, situatr,," at th" ~onfl"en~B of the Arkans%
<br />River and rauntain Cre~k, is the ~~nty ~eat of Pueblo Cownty.
<br />Puob1a County waS one of the original 17 counties included in
<br />the ColoradO Territory created in 1861. The county retained
<br />its idantlfic~tion when statehood was achievsd in 1876.
<br />Economic develop~Bnt in tho area bogan i~ 1762 w~cn
<br />French fur tra~psr. ereotsd a small trading post on the e~st
<br />bank of fo,mtain Creek. In1806,Zebul"nM.Pikeconstructeda
<br />cruds building thet was the first to be inhabited by A~eticans.
<br />The original old "Fort Pusblo" was built in ths years 1840
<br />through 1843, a ~hort distance so~th of ths p.esent locatia~ af
<br />the Sante rs Depot.
<br />A ~old sJ'eking purty sstablishad 0 winter camp in
<br />1858, ond ovo. 30 c~birts wer" (;onstructed using mahrids from
<br />tha origir>a1 old "fort." 11:,,,. gc:d discoveriee in 185g drew
<br />tho"send9 of new sattler", ,""ny of who," "ent fno their fa~ilie,~
<br />which futthe. augmanted the gro~irtg population. Schools and
<br />newspapers ~er" establish..d in the territory "s the population
<br />~re".
<br />
<br />Flo'Jd De,"~'1e Prevention me~sures
<br />Both structurel fleed p.crtectien works end ~on$tr~c-
<br />tc,ral flood damage rOClwction meaoures have been "~play~d in PLJeblo'~
<br />continuin~ effarte to prev~nt or rGd4c~ ro~ur.lng flood losses.
<br />Channel imp~ovement and levee const~u~tion work h~. bssn pri~crily
<br />on the A~kansas River mein stem and fQuntain Creek, but has extend_
<br />~ inta thcl lawer reaches of Wild Horee-Dry C~~~k clnd ~.y Crclek
<br />necr their mouths on the A~kan$as River.
<br />On the e~st b..nk of Wild- Hots..-Dry Creek, the ~oncr<lt,,~
<br />lined tie~b~ck levee of the Arkansas Hiv~~ tloodway extends u~-
<br />~trc~~ fr~~ t~c ~~~ek'~ ~Q~th to t~c Dcn,cr O~~ ~iQ CrendG ~det~rn
<br />
<br />The railroads arrived in Pusbl" in 1872, tur~ing the
<br />city from a small group of typically western cabins into a
<br />thriving ogriQulturR, bueiness, and industrial canter. Shortly
<br />thereart..r, the Cantral COlorado Impl:"overncnt Cornp~ny Catll8 into
<br />existance, and \II"'" lutu, to bucomc the prcs.."t C"lor<>do f~..l
<br />and Iron Corpor~tion.
<br />^vail~bility ~f fuel ~nd nearby mineral depceita
<br />su~portad diveree mining operations and associated cOmmerce and
<br />industry. Agriculturo: and related faod proceaaing i~duatriss
<br />dominatad ec~no~ic devRlopm~nt from the beginning of ths 20th
<br />r...ntury "ntil ~'o,ld ~;jr II. D'lValo~ment of "gtic"ltu.~~ clnd
<br />int~~du~tion of the ho~~e:ess cc~ri~ge led to an axten5~va
<br />
<br />R~il~o~d a~d 11th Street bridges. From this point, an earthfill
<br />lsvse extanda northerly to the vlcinity of 16th Street (""e Plate 3).
<br />The A~kangas River floodway ~ss co~structad by the Pueblo Conserv~ncy
<br />Ohtdct l~ 1924_[5 to provid" fl""d prot('cti"" to the city fro",
<br />flo~o up to 110,OQ~ cu~i~ f~ot pe. eocond. Lev~,,~ have b~~n
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