Page 26 - AreaNewsletters "July 2021" issue

Did You Know This about the...
Castle Rock Flood?
by Lora Thomas
Douglas County Commissioner and former State Patrol O cer assigned to Castle Rock in the 1980’s
But first, another “Geography” Trivia:
There is an interchange on I-25 at milepost 193 in Lone Tree that is now known as Lincoln Avenue. What was that interchange known as in 1984?
(Answer at the end of this article)
LAST ISSUE: (Click to see) I wrote about Philip S. Miller, a philanthropist who died in 1999 but still contributes to the communities that he and his wife, Jerry, loved through his $33 million endowment that provides funding to nine entities to include Douglas County, the Town of Castle Rock, Children’s and Shriner’s Hospitals plus 5 others. This year, as in years past, Douglas County received $300,000 to distribute to various non-pro t organizations that have applied through a competitive grant process.
As a little nine-year-old
girl, I witnessed the ood that devastated Douglas County and parts of Denver on June 16, 1965. That day started as an exciting afternoon because my parents took my three little brothers and me to Elitch Gardens at 38th and Tennyson in Denver! We had our
usual wonderful time riding on the ThedestroyedWolfensbergerRoadbridgelookingnorthfromInterstate
bumper-cars, the merry-go-round, and the many other rides that elementary aged kids love.
25 and East Plum Creek in Castle Rock. The bridge is missing a large span across East Plum Creek. A Skelly gas station is visible on the west side of the creek. Debris, mud, and silt are in the creek bed.
We were leaving the amusement park after dark in our 1954 turquoise Ford sedan when we heard on the radio about a ood of the South Platte River. As
we were headed to our home in Harvey Park in south Denver, Dad decided we could park on Ruby Hill at Florida and Platte River Drive to look at the river. I will NEVER forget how scary it was to July 2021 • Castle Rock “AreaNewsletters”
see a rushing wall of water lled with debris, over its banks. There were horses from Centennial Racetrack on Belleview in the water. When we rolled down
the car windows, the loud roar of the thundering water was something I had never heard before.
Back at home, I remember getting
the small transistor radio that my
26
CASTLE ROCK HISTORY