Quotes
Thousands have lived without love, not one without water. ~W. H. Auden
We never know the worth of water till the well is dry. ~Thomas Fuller
Denver Water History
Prospectors found gold near the headwaters of the Blue River in 1859, Soon nearly 100 miners had camped along the river. By 1880, the population of Summit county had grown to over 5,400. The town of Dillon was incorporated in 1883. The town relocated to the west bank of the Blue River when Denver and Rio Grand Railroad came to Blue River Valley but had bypassed Dillon. A second move was prompted again to catch up with the railroad route.
The idea to dam the Blue River and divert the water to Denver originated in the early 1900s.During the Great Depression when many Dillon residents were unable to pay property taxes. Denver Water Board acquired most of the land needed for the reservoir for the price of back taxes.
A third move of the town of Dillon in 1961 to it's current location was the result of the dam required to store water to be transferred to Denver. Dam construction began in 1961 and was completed in 1963. The dam is earth-filled, 5,888 feet long, and rises 231 feet above the Blue River stream bed. The dam diverts water from the Blue River Basin through the 23.3 mile Harold D. Roberts Tunnel under the Continental Divide into the South Platte River Basin.
The Roberts Tunnel is the longest tunnel of its type in the world. At its deepest, the tunnel passes 4,465 feet below the surface near Santa Fe Peak on the continental divide. The 23 mile tunnel started at approximately the same time at either end, When the two tunnels met, they were only one inch off of a perfect match-up. It was an engineering marvel.
Dillon Reservoir provides forty percent of the total amount of water used annually by Denver Water. Because of the l large number of people on the eastern side of the state, and the concentration of water sources on the western side the mountains, it necessary to transfer water from west to east in order to support the population.
Congratulations to Denver Water Departmenton their 100th Anniversary
Water, water every where and not a drop to drink
What did the sink say to the water faucet?
You're a real drip.
Why is the letter T like an island?
Because its in the middle of water!!!
Excerpt from Two Miles High and Six Feet Under
Coyle is visiting Sister Elizabeth Joseph a retired nurse/nun at Saint Vincent's Hospital. The sister says...
“Young man, I guess you know that you interrupted my afternoon ….” Sister Elizabeth Joseph paused. She didn’t want to say nap, which in truth was what she was doing. “Devotions,” suited her needs and sounded better. “Yes, you interrupted my afternoon devotions.”
“I’m sorry, Sister. I am Andrew Coyle. I have been hired to audit the Chrystal Carnival financial situation to make sure the money goes to the right place.” Coyle was determined to maintain the subterfuge of being more interested in Carnival funds than the body in the block of ice. “I hear that you have been here long enough to know what is going on in town.”
“I wasn’t one of the original three. That’s what we call the three sisters who were sent out here form Kansas to take care of the miners souls and bodies. I have been here long enough to see the hospital grow to what it is today. I’ve watched people rich and poor come and go. Prospectors, gamblers, whores, gold diggers I’ve seen them all. I came out here in ’83 from our Order’s home in Leavenworth. They gave me two dollars and a train ticket for the trip."
Super Moon
As explained by Denver Channel Nine News:The second full moon of January passed through Earth's shadow in a Super Blue Blood Moon eclipse today (Jan. 31), a rare lunar sight visible to millions of observers around the world. Today's lunar eclipse was the first to coincide with a Blue Moon last observed one hundred and fifty-two years ago.. ..