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<br />Excerpt from the article appearing in:
<br />"The Bo"lder Co"nty Miner and Fatmer"
<br />
<br />Th"rsday - June 9, 1921
<br />
<br />northwest it was soon in
<br />of a flowing lake, and
<br />of the aUditorium filled
<br />
<br />the ",iddle
<br />the inside
<br />with,..,lter
<br />
<br />By Tuesday morning, more
<br />fallen and the factory
<br />showed a fall of moisture
<br />inChes,
<br />
<br />rai" had
<br />records
<br />of 5.87
<br />
<br />Storm
<br />
<br />The rain storms of last "eekand
<br />the latter patt of the week before
<br />brought huge damage throughout the
<br />northeastern part of the state and
<br />at Pueblo a tremendous flood in the
<br />Arkansas and Fountain Rivers OVerv
<br />ran the business section and low-
<br />lands of the city and drowned a
<br />large number of people. Latest re-
<br />ports are 135 known dead and many
<br />more not accounted for. Property
<br />loss, it is conservatively stated,
<br />will amount to $5,000,000.
<br />Tn Ilouldpr County, the ToWl'.s of
<br />Lafayette and Etie wete flOOded.
<br />Houses washed from their foundation
<br />or filled with ~ud and ~ater. Long-
<br />
<br />mont is almost completeLy Cut off
<br />from the outside by destruction or
<br />roads and bridge~ and within the
<br />~ity considerable damage waS do~e
<br />by a flood of the St. Vrain river
<br />and a tremendous local rain storm
<br />which tC!rned the ~treet. into
<br />rivers of rC!shing water.
<br />The County bears heavy lo~~ in
<br />bridges ~ashed out and destruction
<br />of road beds on many of the CoC!nty
<br />high",ays.
<br />St. Vrain Canyon road. are closed
<br />for a brief time ~ith bridges out
<br />and ro~d beda damaged. Tbe valley
<br />roads are largely un?assable b~-
<br />caUSe of missing bridges.
<br />
<br />A bridge Over a dry creek on the
<br />matn road south sunk, but some real
<br />trouble occurred at the main bridge
<br />Qvet the St. Vrain.
<br />
<br />The Peterson bridge a couple of
<br />miles east of Lyons is in bad shape
<br />one end of approaCh having been
<br />washed out the Same way only ~orse.
<br />It is on the road from Lyons to
<br />Boulder and cannot be used.
<br />
<br />The Great
<br />
<br />Rain
<br />
<br />The bid bridge about
<br />cast of Longmont OVer
<br />after its j~netion
<br />Creek has gone out.
<br />The report came to Longmont Wed-
<br />Msdayrnorning that the Foothills
<br />Rese.voir was in danger, and that a
<br />large force ofmen...tthsackshad
<br />gone IIp t"meod the damage. Th<'<e
<br />was considerable truth in the rumor
<br />for it Seems to b~ a face that the
<br />ditch that carried the ~ater to
<br />this reservoir was full and ordin-
<br />ary ~eans of stoppin~ its flow did
<br />not sllcceed, so the men w~re called
<br />llpOn with th~ sacks to go and stop
<br />the ditch, th~n the reservoir would
<br />
<br />five miles
<br />theSt.Vrain
<br />with Boulder
<br />
<br />Excerpts from the article appeariag ia:
<br />"LongOlOnt Ledger"
<br />Friday - June 10, 1921
<br />
<br />To tell the story of the grc~t
<br />raia of Friday, June 3, and the
<br />r.i~h~ fOllcwir.g, or.c h~rdly knc~"
<br />where to commenc~ or stop.
<br />Tho heavy rain commenced about 2
<br />o'clock Friday aftornoon,and by the
<br />next morning 4.4 incbes had fal1o~
<br />dnd by Monday morning 5.39, ~cco<-
<br />ding to the s~gar company's re-
<br />cords. The Hrs: s~ction of rain
<br />was short but hard...
<br />
<br />-27-
<br />
<br />The great mass of w~ter ~a" caus-
<br />~d by th~ overilo" of ditche" IoIbicl<
<br />.",,~l ,I,rough ~h~ city fru", nonh-
<br />west to "outbeast, andafterreacb-
<br />ing Main Street ran down Fifth Ave_
<br />nwe to the alley from Fif:h Avanue
<br />:0 Fourth Ava"u~ betwe~n Kimbdrk
<br />and E~ery ~trc~ts.
<br />
<br />TheaudilQriu",
<br />fer~d :h<, OIOsl.
<br />the OVHn"W of
<br />
<br />h,,~ perhaps sut-
<br />Right in li,,,. of
<br />'",Her ft"", the
<br />
<br />-28-
<br />
<br />b<, safe. Th~ report <<as that the
<br />creek had changed its course and
<br />"'as flowing into the rCMrvair,
<br />.~hich .~as nat so. If it lHd hee"
<br />thcr<,..ervoir...nuldnothavel..st..d
<br />five minutes.
<br />
<br />It has bc~n said that if the dit-
<br />ches had not carried off an immense
<br />volum~ of <<ater before they over-
<br />iloW'ed Longmont would have "ufff't('d
<br />a great deal more than it did.
<br />J:lythe overilolol of St. Vrain,
<br />Commodore Walker has lost all his
<br />building~ and his farm south of the
<br />sugar factory. Barns and sheds went
<br />first and then the house commenced
<br />to topple oVer and an attempt waS
<br />~de to save it but of no avail.
<br />Wchavcendeavored to obtai.:'lR"
<br />idea ~s to loss"s to ctops, if any,
<br />frompxtessiverains, and find that
<br />there may be some wheat knocked
<br />down, somebeptficlds flooded so
<br />that the e:<tent of d.....age ..ayco"",
<br />out. We have heard little or n"
<br />complaint. J.M. Anderson of Long-
<br />1ll<lLltreports that he has tWenty-
<br />five acres of be~t" On Boulder
<br />Ctcek, that was und~r water from
<br />two to three feet On ruesday.
<br />Another ~hort but hard r3cu fell
<br />Wcdne~day night, makcng the total
<br />from Friday, the 3td, until Thur~_
<br />day morning, 6.07 inches.
<br />
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