Quote
The single raindrop never feels responsible for the flood. ~ Douglas Adams
The Flood of 1864
Arapahoe Chief, Little Raven tried to warn the newcomers to Denver of the signs of rising water in the otherwise nearly-dry Cherry Creek. Denverites ignored the warnings. They laughed at the Indians for setting up their teepees so far away from the water supply.
The town of Denver was built on the banks of Cherry Creek where it joins the South Platte River. The first deposits of Colorado gold were found there. On the opposite bank stood Auraria the twin city of Denver.
May 19, 1864 the twin towns were sleeping. After midnight the creek suddenly became an angry roaring torrent that exercised its long-reserved powers of devastation without warning. It swept down upon and through the town through the collection of dwellings, saloons and business establishments that stood directly in it its course. Daylight on the morning of the 20th revealed the extent of the destruction.
Although both sides of Cherry Creek were devastated by the raging waters, the Auraria side of the creek was crippled due to a lethal disadvantage—a much lower elevation. The next morning, Auraria was still covered in several feet of water and some residents had to be rescued by boat.
At least eight people were known to have been killed in the flood, though the exact number was never known for certain. Reports of two separate incidences of women and children being swept to their deaths in the flood in Plum Creek and another group "some distance above the town." One lucky woman was pulled in the torrent, but somehow managed to pull herself out and was discovered a full eighteen miles downstream from Denver.
William N. Byers, ignoring the Arapaho advice, constructed the building for the Rocky Mountain News the Colorado Territory’s first newspaper – on stilts in the bed of Cherry Creek. Legend has it he chose that location to express his commitment to both of the rival towns of Auraria and Denver City. Never-the-less the building, printing press and all, was swept away. In this case, "no news was bad news."
Compiled from Denver historian Jerome Smiley in his 1901 book History of Denver. also from historian
Tom Noel in the Denver Post.
The single raindrop never feels responsible for the flood. ~ Douglas Adams
The Flood of 1864
Arapahoe Chief, Little Raven tried to warn the newcomers to Denver of the signs of rising water in the otherwise nearly-dry Cherry Creek. Denverites ignored the warnings. They laughed at the Indians for setting up their teepees so far away from the water supply.
The town of Denver was built on the banks of Cherry Creek where it joins the South Platte River. The first deposits of Colorado gold were found there. On the opposite bank stood Auraria the twin city of Denver.
May 19, 1864 the twin towns were sleeping. After midnight the creek suddenly became an angry roaring torrent that exercised its long-reserved powers of devastation without warning. It swept down upon and through the town through the collection of dwellings, saloons and business establishments that stood directly in it its course. Daylight on the morning of the 20th revealed the extent of the destruction.
Although both sides of Cherry Creek were devastated by the raging waters, the Auraria side of the creek was crippled due to a lethal disadvantage—a much lower elevation. The next morning, Auraria was still covered in several feet of water and some residents had to be rescued by boat.
At least eight people were known to have been killed in the flood, though the exact number was never known for certain. Reports of two separate incidences of women and children being swept to their deaths in the flood in Plum Creek and another group "some distance above the town." One lucky woman was pulled in the torrent, but somehow managed to pull herself out and was discovered a full eighteen miles downstream from Denver.
William N. Byers, ignoring the Arapaho advice, constructed the building for the Rocky Mountain News the Colorado Territory’s first newspaper – on stilts in the bed of Cherry Creek. Legend has it he chose that location to express his commitment to both of the rival towns of Auraria and Denver City. Never-the-less the building, printing press and all, was swept away. In this case, "no news was bad news."
Compiled from Denver historian Jerome Smiley in his 1901 book History of Denver. also from historian
Tom Noel in the Denver Post.
First Afro-American Mayor of Denver
Wellington Webb is a graduate of Denver's Manual High School. At 6'5" Webb was an all-conference basketball player at Northeastern Junior College in Sterling, Colorado, in 1960. He obtained his B.A. in sociology from Colorado State College (now University of Northern Colorado} in 1964 and his M.A. in sociology from the same school in 1971.
Webb served as mayor of Denver for 12 years, from 1991 to 2003. One highlight of his years in office was the South Platte River Corridor Project, involving commercial and residential redevelopment, as well as reclamation of park land, along the South Platte River (see Platte River in the story above) in central Denver. He was also mayor at the time of the completion of Denver International Airport, started by his predecessor, Federico Peña.
Laugh With Us (but not at us)
I've always had an irrational fear of speed bumps
but I'm slowly getting over it.
What word becomes shorter when you add two letters to it? Short.
I've finally told my suitcases there will be no holiday this year.
Now I'm dealing with the emotional baggage.
If you're not supposed to eat at night, why is there a light bulb
in the refrigerator?
My dad died when we couldn't remember his blood type.
As he died, he kept insisting "be positive," but it's hard without him.
Laugh With Us (but not at us)
I've always had an irrational fear of speed bumps
but I'm slowly getting over it.
What word becomes shorter when you add two letters to it? Short.
I've finally told my suitcases there will be no holiday this year.
Now I'm dealing with the emotional baggage.
If you're not supposed to eat at night, why is there a light bulb
in the refrigerator?
My dad died when we couldn't remember his blood type.
As he died, he kept insisting "be positive," but it's hard without him.