While Colorado is statistically a safe place to live, we have still seen our fair share of natural disasters, violence, and other heartbreaking disasters that no one saw coming. Did you live in the Centennial State in the summer of 1976? If you answered yes, you are sure to remember one of the most devastating disasters of all, which came in the form of the unprecedented Big Thompson Canyon Flood:

Winding through Rocky Mountain National Park is the seemingly serene Big Thompson; a 78-mile-long river that flows from Forest Canyon down into Greeley.
Wikimedia Commons
While the Big Thompson River is usually a beautiful sight to behold, it can turn both dangerous and deadly. That is just what happened on July 31, 1976, when a horrific flash flood ravished the canyon after an intense thunderstorm.
Flickr/Harvey Craft
How could one thunderstorm cause so much destruction? It is because the storm dumped a record 12 inches of rain over the upper section of the canyon in less than four hours, resulting in a 20-foot-tall wall of water cascading down the mountain.
Flickr/Santosh Kumar

Related Stories

Take A Canopy Tour At Glenwood Canyon In Colorado To See The Fall Colors Like Never Before

Take A Canopy Tour At Glenwood Canyon In Colorado To See The Fall Colors Like Never Before

 Golden Gate Canyon Is The Most Peaceful Place To Experience Fall Foliage In Colorado

Golden Gate Canyon Is The Most Peaceful Place To Experience Fall Foliage In Colorado

 This Remote Little Westcliffe In Colorado Is One Of The Darkest Places In The Nation

This Remote Little Westcliffe In Colorado Is One Of The Darkest Places In The Nation
By 9 p.m., the water began making its way down to the lower section of the canyon at 14 miles per hour, which destroyed 400 cars, 42 businesses, and 418 homes.
Youtube/Rocky Mountain PBS
Significantly worse than the loss of these structures was the loss of lives, which totaled 143 people, 5 of whom were never found.
Youtube/Rocky Mountain PBS
In addition to fatalities, an additional 250+ were injured by the Big Thompson Canyon flood.
Unfortunately, 1976 was not the only flood for the Big Thompson River, as 2013 brought on another wave of destruction. This time it washed out different parts of the highway, the City of Loveland's hydroelectric plant, and the US Bureau of Reclamation's Dille Diversion Dam.
Wikimedia Commons
Pictured is the Colorado National Guard assisting residents in Boulder County, which experienced flooding at the same time as the Big Thompson.

To get an even bigger picture of the Big Thompson Canyon flood and hear from a few survivors, check out this incredible video from Rocky Mountain PBS:

Did you live through the Big Thompson Canyon flood? What are your memories of this horrific event? For another difficult time in Colorado history, click on These 7 Photos Show Just How Devastating The Colorado Tornado Of 2007 Really Was.

OnlyInYourState may earn compensation through affiliate links in this article. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.

Related Articles

Explore Colorado