The Flood of 1965
On June 16th, 1965 a storm gathered over Denver and an intense rain began to fall. The water levels of the long-polluted South Platte River began to swell and break forth from its banks. The River swept out into the city creating the largest natural disaster in Denver’s history. The flood inundated 250,000 acres of land and caused $540 Million in damages, equating to over $14 Billion in today’s dollars.
“Instead of the normal 300 cubic feet of water per second, or the 3,000 that we called exceptionally high..., the raging South Platte hit us with the astonishing flow of 150,000 cubic feet per second” (Returning the Platte to the People, Joe Shoemaker, 1981).
For nine years, the South Platte River continued to lay in waste. The River was ecologically dead, and it was said that you could hear the water flow but not see it through all of the trash. In 1974, Mayor Bill McNichols and State Senator Joe Shoemaker co-founded the Platte River Development Committee (PRDC) with Senator Shoemaker as the Chair. Charged with initializing the revitalization of the South Platte, the PRDC, which two years later became The Greenway Foundation, took on the monumental task of breathing life into a dead urban waterway.
Since then, over $500 Million has been invested into the River, and its parks and trails, allowing the River to evolve from a virtually abandoned and forgotten open sewer to the vibrant, healthy, enhanced and engaged urban waterway that it is today.
Over 100,000 linear feet of water quality, recreational, environmental and flood control improvements, over 100 acres of parks and natural areas, and over 100 miles of multi-use recreation trails have been added to the South Platte River Greenway and its tributaries. This investment is directly connected to the realization of over $20 Billion in related economic benefits to metro Denver and its citizenry.
Today, Denver’s urban waterways are a destination spot. On any given day, you will find people cooling their feet in the water, bicyclists zooming along the trail, or fishermen waist deep in a significantly revitalized River. The flood of 1965 was Denver’s largest natural disaster, but from this turmoil blossomed an ongoing mission to allow Denver’s greatest natural resource, the South Platte River watershed, to once again be recognized as our city’s greatest, and most valued amenity.
Since then, over $500 Million has been invested into the River, and its parks and trails, allowing the River to evolve from a virtually abandoned and forgotten open sewer to the vibrant, healthy, enhanced and engaged urban waterway that it is today.
Over 100,000 linear feet of water quality, recreational, environmental and flood control improvements, over 100 acres of parks and natural areas, and over 100 miles of multi-use recreation trails have been added to the South Platte River Greenway and its tributaries. This investment is directly connected to the realization of over $20 Billion in related economic benefits to metro Denver and its citizenry.
Today, Denver’s urban waterways are a destination spot. On any given day, you will find people cooling their feet in the water, bicyclists zooming along the trail, or fishermen waist deep in a significantly revitalized River. The flood of 1965 was Denver’s largest natural disaster, but from this turmoil blossomed an ongoing mission to allow Denver’s greatest natural resource, the South Platte River watershed, to once again be recognized as our city’s greatest, and most valued amenity.
"By the time the flood was in the center of the city it had damaged every bridge in its path and the tide was gathering an increasing load of debris: trees, buildings, entire mobile homes, telephone poles trailing wires, an armada of old and new automobile tires, operable and junked cars, entire lumber yards, fences, tanks loaded with Lord knew what.”(Returning the Platte to the People, Joe Shoemaker, 1981).
