69 Years Ago
Flood waters roared down Clear Creek canon Monday afternoon after a dam broke below Georgetown when a spillway collapsed. The flood washed out several bridges, sending debris downstream, took out part of Highways 6 and 40 and caused much property damage in Idaho Springs and that area.
Colorado Transcript - June 7, 1956
City personnel were warned of the impending flood at 11AM and the crest reached us at 3:02PM. According to the City Engineer, the water rose a full foot at the Ford Street bridge between 2:57 and 3:02PM. The flow went from 6.1 miles per hour to 10.4 miles per hour.
The Transcript reported that the flood carried debris from washed out bridges and parts of automobiles. We were in the process of building a new bridge at Ford Street that summer, and the City was very concerned that no harm should come to it. Street and Water Department employees were ready with poles to dislodge any debris that threatened the bridge, but none accumulated. They attributed that to the increased span (10 feet wider) and height (1 foot higher) of the new bridge.
Fortunately, the canyon widens as it approaches Golden, and the damage here was minimal. The baseball fields in Lions Park and about half a block of 10th Street were covered with water.
June is always an exciting time to watch the Creek! The USGS provides near-real time information about the flow of Clear Creek.
