FLOOD08755

• County: Larimer
• Community: Big Thompson Canyon
• Stream Name: Big Thompson
• Basin: South Platte
• Title: Newspaper - Ft. Collins Coloradoan: The Big Thompson, A Special Report
• Date: 8/1/1976
• Prepared For: Fort Collins Coloradoan
• Floodplain - Doc Type: Drawing/Map

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Inside
this
edition:

-State agencies moved
quickly. Page 2.
~A night of tragedy. Page
3.

-The weather was right
for 0 flood. Page 4.
-History of Big Thompson
Canyon. Page 6.
-The Big Thompson Pro-
ject. Page 1.
-Floodplain studies, Page
8. .

-The legions of volun.
teers. Page 9.
LA couple returns to the
conyon. Page 11.
-When will it end? Page
12.
.
-The "other" conyons-
Poudre andRlst. Page 16.

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The Big
Thompson:

A special
report

Saturday. July 31, 1976, the eve ot
the one. hundredth birthday of the
state of Colorado.
The weekend had begun in typical
fasmon - with the mountain areas
filled with tourists and area
residents, taking some time off for
fishing, camping and just "looking
at the scenery. .,
In the Big Thompson Canyon
between Loveland and Estes Park,
however, the visitors and permanent
residents. as many as 4,000 persons
In all' - were settling in for what
looked like a long, gloomy night. An
ominous mOlUltaln of clouds broiled
over the canyon and the tern.
perature had cooled considerably. It
was not to be the usual late-day
summer shower, but a deluge - an
U-inch rain (almost a normal year's
rainlaU) in barely 6 hours.
A wall of water roared down the
canyon, carrying with it everything
in Its widening path - trees, houses,
automobiles and camper vehicles,
boulders as big as cars. And people.
'There had been some warnIng of
the danger of flash flooding, but
many had not heard it Others
Ignored the warning until It was too
late.
'The force and the speed of the
rampaging river left many with no
way of escape. Some were trapped
In their cars, others simply were
swept from the banks, to drown, or
to die against the rocks. Some who
tried to escape up the walls of the

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canyon found them too steep and too
slippery. The climb was too slow,
and the river was upon them.
It was a night of terror. pitch black
except when lightning provided brief
flashes of the ~ing deslnJction of
the canyon.
By Sunday momIng, Aug. 1 -
())Iorado Day . the extent of the
disaster slowly came to be reaU.zed.
As Gov. Richard Lamm was to say,
"The river has l'f!claimed the
canyon from all Its 1otrudecs."
Two weeks later, the death toll had
passed 100, and the damage was
estimated at some $28 milllon.
It was the worst disaster ever to
strike the state, and It affected,
either directly or Indirectly,
thousands of people across the
nation.
In thIs special edttlon, the
Coloradoan tells, 10 words and
plctul'f!s, of the Big Thompson flood,
while recognizing that the lull-story
can never be told. Eyew1tnesl5e8
have given counUess reports of the
terror and tragedy and heroism of
that night in the canyon, but can
they fully convey what It was really
like? Only they can know that.
1lds edition Is dedicated to thOlle
thousands of persons who volun-
teered their time, ellort and, In
many cases, their 0....11 money to aid
the victims of the flood, and to those
memJx>rs of the various agencies
whose efforts went above andbeyond the call of duty.

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