112 Years Ago
The August 14, 1913 Colorado Transcript described considerable property damage resulting from a sudden downpour, which caused Kinney Run to flood.
The storm broke directly over Golden, the heaviest part being Southwest of the park. The Rain fell in sheets for nearly an hour. The usually dry gulches draining the territory south of Golden sent gushing streams into Kinney run, which never has more than a mere trickle of water in it, and turned it into a raging torrent.
The Denver & Intermountain car was just leaving town at that time. It passed over a bridge at 16th Street and was about to pull onto a bridge at 17th when the supports under both bridges were washed away. The car was stranded between 16th and 17th. The railroad quickly brought a crew of workmen to repair the damage and the line was functional again 24 hours later.
The two lumberyards along Ford Street incurred about $5,000 in damage. At least two homes had flood damage, with one at 12th and East “filled up to the window sills with water.” Two irrigation ditches were damaged. G.W. Parfet lost a horse when he fell through a bridge and drowned.
The article ended with a mention of a similar flood, 27 years earlier, which had also caused significant damage.
Kinney Run hasn’t often flooded, but when it has, it has caused damage in the low-lying areas along Ford and Jackson Streets. This is why Coors undertook major flood abatement work for such a minor-looking stream. They had big construction plans for the brewery, and needed to get their property out of the flood plain.
