I'm a native Puebloan and this popped up randomly in my YT feed. I remember my grandmother recalling watching this flood from the bluffs on the south side of the river on the same day her sister graduated from high school.
I grew up in pueblo myself, I now live west of pueblo. So I'm about 36 Miles away and man how I miss the small town I grew up in, it's not the same place it once was😔
@@MattManProductions It's changed a bit, but it's not a whole lot different at the same time. I spend a fair bit of time there for work and see someone I know virtually every time I'm there. It's kind of nice, actually. It's home.
@@anonosaurus4517 it's been a while since I've been to pueblo,I just hear a lot of things bad about the town now a days. So I don't really miss it 🤷♂️
@@MattManProductions Eh, it's Pueblo. I think it has the problems it's always had, and I think they've been made worse by the legalization of MJ. I don't think you can be permissive about drugs and also have poor education, poverty, lack of job opportunities, and have a healthy city. Having said that, it's still a friendly city, and many of the staples of what's made it what it is are still alive and well. I was there on Tuesday and had a slopper and schooner of Coors Light at Coors Tavern. It doesn't get more classically "Pueblo" than that.
I have lived in Pueblo, CO most of my life of 54 years. Yes we all know the flood, the Rail station still shows the high water mark of '21. Pueblo is known for three things actually, Steel City, the flood of '21 and having the highest per capita Medal of Honor recipients (4). Thank you for your perspective and research on our flood, I thoroughly enjoyed this and all of your work.
@@billd.iniowa2263 President Dwight D. Eisenhower upon presenting Raymond G. “Jerry” Murphy with his Medal in 1953 commented, “What is it…something in the water out there in Pueblo? All you guys turn out to be heroes!” In 1993 Colorado Representative Scott McInnis had read into the Congressional Record information about Pueblo and it’s recipients of the Medal of Honor. He cited at that time that it was the only city to have this record of four living recipients from the same hometown. Following that declaration in the Congressional Record, the Pueblo City Council adopted the “Home of Heroes” theme.
I love Pueblo. Lived there for a few years. Overall, the people are quirky and friendly. 💜 HG - I read that the women at the phone company stayed on at work trying to ring as many as could be warned of the coming flood and saved many. They were in the direct path of the flood but thankfully they were in a building with many floors. Harrowing. Thank you for this story.
Great piece very informative with new information I had not seen and I live in Pueblo. One of the reasons the death count was so hard to obtain is because of the August 7, 1904 Eden Train Wreck that happened previously, and washed a train down the river as well. That happened a few miles north of Pueblo in an arroyo called Porter Draw, and the train was full of families returning on Sunday evening from a lovely day in Colorado Springs. I worked for an historic cemetery in Pueblo and did a lot of research and genealogy for families of both tragedies. Amazing stories of heroism and very strong and resilient people, and the spirit of these ancestors is alive and well in Pueblo today.
Pueblo is my hometown. My great grandfather was a long distance runner in high school. He said they were used as message runners for the state guard for 2 weeks. They were "tipped" with cigarettes at each stop.
Fun fact: If the flood hadn't happened, my grandfather wouldn't have come from MO for a job in Pueblo to help rebuild, where he met my grandmother...and I would not be writing this comment today. 😊
Thanks for making this video. I have lived in Pueblo all my life. My great-grandfather was on city council in 1895-1896 and again in 1899-1900. I know this story well. My grandfather was 8 years old when the flood happened. There was also a flood in Pueblo in 1965 I remember well. I was 7 at the time. We now have the Fryingpan-Arkansas Project authorized by President Kennedy in 1962. There was a large dam built across the Arkansas River to control flooding in the area. I'm looking forward to your next video!
In 1989 I worked part time in a nursing home and there’s was a lady that resided there that was telling me a story of her living trough the flood, she said she lived in a brick 3 story house and had to climb to the attic as waters raised through house till it reached the attic door, she said she thought she would die. The next day when she could get out she could see railroad cars all over the place, animals and people were buried in mud. She and Her family all servived
The whole Ark valley down to the state line can get scary after a big rain! The ark flattens and widens as it goes east and it's also sandy and shallow. When a lot of rain comes down, it goes up!
My grandparents were survivors of that flood. I remember my grandmother telling a story how my grandfather went to inform friends of theirs that the dam burst and to go with them to higher ground - an area called “Goat Hill”. They didn’t listen and died in the flood. All this time I though the dam bursting was the reason for the flood. Now it appears that there was already devastation for a couple days prior to that already. She also mentioned the Red Cross helping them afterwards as they had nothing left.
Just recently Colorado State University did ground penetrating radar search of the Roselawn Cemetery in Pueblo, they found a mass burial site with at least 200 bodies believed to be flood casualties.
@@parker6334 TH-cam deletes direct links from what I hear, but if you type into google KRDO news and the title of the article which is: "Historians discover unmarked mass grave in Pueblo dating back to early 20th century" it should come up for you!
Interesting to compare 100 years later, Pueblo and southeastern Colorado is getting their usual amount of moisture. The Western Slope, the entire western portion of the state, is in a severe drought. While the northeastern portion, including Denver, has gotten far more moisture than usual, by now having gotten more this year than they usually get in an entire year. Last summer was incredibly dry though. You can never know what to expect with weather in Colorado, it will always do something strange. I'm just hoping this extra moisture in the Denver area will result in lots of apples though.
This was very interesting. My dad was born and raised in Pueblo (after this flood) but I don't remember him ever mentioning this catastrophic event before he died. Have you looked into the Eden train wreck of 1904? It was very near Pueblo. We lost two family members in that disaster.
I was brought here by a story that I just read from one of my ancestors. Their Aunt and Uncle (Addie and Harry Brookhart) had a farm and nursery there that was a complete loss. The family made it out safe, but all of their livestock was washed away. Thank you for sharing this bit of history. It helps to see and understand as I read these stories.
I can’t hear Pueblo, Colorado without adding “81009” & “The Free Consumer Information Catalog” from those weird commercials between cartoons in the ‘80s.
I actually wrote and ordered one, as a kid. Why not, it was free! Horribly disappointing. Writing to NASA as a kid and asking for free stuff yielded WAY better envelopes, full of swag.
Having grown up right down the road from Pueblo, I can tell you that to this day you can still see the high water marks on some of the buildings, if you know what you’re looking for.
I live on the Arkansas River near where it crosses into Oklahoma from Kansas. The Arkansas flooded leven in our area a great many times between 1920 to 1942. Yet, old timers told me about cleaning debris from Pueblo flood out of the water.
I've guess I need to define the term, "leven." It is an old term used to explain that flooding water had reached the top of the levy. Even with the levy. I have no idea when or what country I picked it up.
When I arrived 27 years ago in Pueblo, I met an older man who had witnessed the flood when he was 12 years old. They had lived on north side of town, so safe, however because of the phone calls warning of the wave of water on the way, his dad took him and his brother across the 4th st bridge and sat up on the hill over the river below Abriendo st. They had no idea of what was about to happen, and the old man said they heard the crashing, seeing the water roll through town, with bridges, buildings, railroad cars tumbling, and most of all the voices of hundreds of people screaming. Even though he told me the story 74 years later, he said he had never forgotten what he saw and heard, and still had nightmares.
Do you remember the name of the old man that who told you the story? I live on the northside not too far from Mineral Palace Park...I have an Ancestry account, and I love looking up folks and seeing where they lived, what they did, etc. There is also a great website called the "Colorado Historic Newspaper Archives" with many of the old CO newspapers scanned in, and you can search all manner of fascinating things with key words, names, and dates.
It was great to hear the quotes from the Collbran Colorado paper! Collbran is a very small community situated a long way from Pueblo, and I find it surprising that in your research they apparently had an article worth quoting over other bigger papers. Ironically, in 2014 the largest mudslide in Colorado history occurred just outside of Collbran that made national news because it took the lives of three locals. The salt Creek mudslide was a very sad day for our community
The two Pueblo papers at the time were temporarily put out of commission, and could only print single page broadsheet “extras.” Papers in area communities, I think, took up the slack.
A lot of the front range in Colorado has stories like this when we get major upslope storms. 2013 had major floods in multiple areas, but especially Boulder, Colorado was hit very hard. There was also the big Thompson canyon flood of 1976 (also a cloudburst). Most of these live on in local memory. Someone we knew was caught in the 76 flood and spent the night clinging to the canyon walls 40’ up when their ambulance was washed away and found 30+ miles down stream.
Yup, and that's why I don't have a home along a canyon wall. The Big Thompson flood still haunts me. My family and I were up a side canyon when the flood came. We got out but barely.
2013 was nuts. I remember listening to the weather wonk on News 4 talking about the amount of water which had fallen on the Boulder Valley (I think the storm dumped...19 inches there...14 out in Centennial where I lived), and it was estimated to be measured in billions of gallons. First time I remember my son's school being canceled as a result of rain.
I remember watching the television news the night of the Big Thompson flood. Bob Palmer reported on a large rainstorm and a wall of water that moved down the Poudre Valley. They didn't have very many details until the next morning.
As a long time resident of Pueblo, I always love hearing the history and recounts of this piece of it's past. There are several historical markers of the flood around here to study, and since I live only a few blocks of the 4th st bridge it is always so amusing to see the maps and birds eye views of the flood and see the relationship to how it is today. It actually still flash floods here more often than you'd expect since they have built several ways to reroute the water around here. It had such a devasating impact on the community, its so crazy to hear about every time. Thanks for the video :)
@Mr. Petrie: Yes Sir, that happened. I live in Pueblo and heard the blast (though I didn’t know what had occurred at that time), and later saw a huge, black smoke and ash “cloud” rising for hours. And I’m about 2.5 miles from the mill- an indication of how powerful the blast was. Unfortunately, Evraz, through stupidity, lack of awareness or just terrible PR subsequently claimed in a press release that no Evraz employees were injured or seriously injured, when in fact several employees were badly hurt and one, a severe burn victim, had to be transported to a Denver, Colorado burn unit by helicopter. The company blew its response and I only hope that man will recover. Long road in front of him. As an aside, Evraz is a Russian-owned company. Another Pueblo disaster. Mishaps at the small portion of the mill still operating are common, even today.
I live in Colorado, I here a lot about the Arkansas valley and Pueblo in the wather report. They talk about potential for flooding in that area all the time. Now I know why thanks H.G...
Historybill is part of my e-mail address...i was born and raised in pueblo, Colorado both of my parents also!!! I grew up listening to stories of the flood and to this day along union ave their are high water markers on the surviving buildings!! In the video i recognized some names, Kress's, a 5 and dime store with a sign in the video, it still existed in business into the 60's!! Funny the big train depot which is still open to this day i got my first haircut across the street from there, my dad too, same barbershop!! Thanks for showing this, it was well done!!
I remember in the 70s wehad a school assignment to send a SASE to Pueblo Colorado for a free publication of our choice.. I forgot what I chose but was happy to see it arrive at my home weeks later..
Fountain creek starts as a ditch. In my home town of Woodland Park Colorado. It’s just hard to imagine that ditch being somewhat responsible for such a devastating flood.
I didn't appreciate the power of water until I took a 2 hour nap during a rainstorm one day in San Antonio, Texas, and woke up to several phone calls from friends about the "disaster". Two blocks away, people were waiting for rescue from the roofs of their houses, and someone had died trying to save their dog suddenly swept away...two kids thought it was a good idea to put a raft in a nearby drainage ditch and "ride the rapids", but did not survive, due to the dangerous amounts of debris in the water and its speed. For some reason, our street was just a little higher than surrounding streets, even though water was coming through our bedroom ceiling. The most vivid memory I have is of giant, really giant, water roaches crawling up the walls outside after being driven out of their usual areas. It was the most terrifying thing I've ever seen. I didn't know insects could get that big! I didn't think even a .357 would take them out!
I've lived in Colorado for fifty years and thought I knew a little bit about the state's history. I knew nothing of this story, Possibly it faded into obscurity in the shadow of the 1965 flood that ravaged Denver and the Thompson River flood of 1976. Thank you for the history lesson.
Suggestion for a future video: the Sunnyside Mine disaster. It’s located outside Silverton, CO, and when I went there our local tour guide told a very interesting story (no idea if it’s documented) about a miner who was sure the roof of the mine was unstable so he snuck into the mine to ensure that the collapse would occur on a Sunday when all the other miners weren’t there.
As an ex Grand County, Colorado resident, and a fan of it's history, there's a story involving a Mountain Ute band and a posse, as well as a July 4, 1883 gunfight in Grand Lake, Colorado that left seven dead or missing, presumed dead, including the County Sheriff and three County Commissioners. Colorado history is so rich because it's foundation is so recent. I am sure that every Colorado mountain community has a local history worth remembering and more, dramatized. It would take much effort to make the fiction more dramatic that the reality. The name "Sunnyside Mine" rings a bell. The story sounds like urban legend, but that doesn't mean it's not based at least in part on an actual incident. As I think about it, a union organizer's story perhaps. "Yet as one brave man was willing to risk his life to save others, you must be willing to risk no more but a little of your time to hear what I have to say, that is solidarity, for only together, not as individuals, can we protect ourselves from the Big Bad Management that forces miners to risk life, limb and health for the sake of the luxury of a few."
@@andywomack3414 As a fellow former Grand County resident, if I remember correctly, that gunfight was over whether Hot Sulphur Springs or Grand Lake would be the county seat. With the Grand Lake delegation mostly, if not completely, wiped out, Hot Sulphur won by default.
@@ChrisCaramia We probably read the same book, "Island in the Rockies" Everyone involved either died or went missing, never to be seen again. I have visited the grave sites of the three commissioners who died.
Every 10-15 years we get a big flood. Big Thompson, Denver back in the mid '60's and more than I can't name.Plus the occasional tornado out on the plains. Beautiful country, Nature reminds us she's still here and has a vote. Mr History Guy,another great episode!
I grew up about 35 miles northeast of Pueblo, I learned a lot from the episode! My great grandparents were some of the original settlers in the community that I grew up in, and my grandma would tell stories of how things got washed away during this flood. Fountain Creek is still notorious for flooding and continues to have a terrible erosion erosion problem not so much the Arkansas anymore.
Thank you for this, History Guy! I live 40 miles up the road from Pueblo and knew very little about this flood. Another great disaster happened near Pueblo, in 1904. It was the Eden train wreck, when a flash flood on Fountain creek washed out a train trestle and over 100 people died. It was one of the worst train wrecks in US history, and its location is marked only by a small wooden sign 50 yards off the adjacent highway.
13:58 I like how they suspended Prohibition after the flood, in the interest of sanitation. I'm sure lots of folks needed a stiff drink before tackling the cleanup effort.
Once again, I learned something today about history... that deserves to be remembered! Sadly, like many historical events, this one involves tragedy and loss. 😟. But, an episode well done 👍
Truly delightful to see such a wonderfully accurate and caring recounting of my homes worst day. We never did recover from this as just as the city was finally getting back on it's feet, the great depression came. A interesting point for a further episode: Little Chicago. it is said that the prohibition came 4 years earlier than the rest of the US and had the same criminal effects. The streets that had been filled with debris from the flood were now one full story higher. This is just as the great earthquake of Portland Oregon. And so there were and still are tunnels that exist under the streets and sidewalks. These became smugglers haves for speakeasies and booze storage. The local Italians created smuggling fro all of southern Colorado, and organized crime grew, still influencing the city today (resulting in the lower than average federal funding for the city). The soda pop dependence you mentioned never left and become a staple in many houses even today. I always wondered why it was so. Funny that the History guy helped me to know my own home even better! From a fellow historian.......thank you Greg G Pueblo native another fun fact: Pueblo was founded by one of the most amazing people the west ever produced. The emancipated son of a slave and slave owner Jim Beckwith.
I wish the history guy would talk about the June 1972 flood in the NY southern tier due to hurricane Agnes and a stationary front that cost several million dollars. The famous Corning Museum of Glass still has the flood line of several hundred feet. This is history that deserves to be remembered.
Yes! Frazier is the name! He and his wife made nationally famous, quality saddles. Their home still stands today on the historic northside of Pueblo at the southwest corner of 22nd and Elizabeth St. It is the beefiest, most gorgeous craftsman style bungalow-mansion I have ever seen (and I am an old house nerd)! The house had sinks in most of the rooms as the saddle making process involves making sure the hands don't get skin oils onto the leather. I was also told that he incorporated large springs that were big versions of what were use in wagons etc into the house foundation so the foundation would better be able to handle shifting in the soil etc. It is a gorgeous house.
@@generalripper1964 The ORIGINAL horse that sat in Frazier's store that was washed away in the flood then found mostly intact in a tree after the flood still exists and you can see it at the Pueblo Heritage Museum near the Pueblo Train Depot. The horse was made from paper mache then a special coating and painted, and the darn thing made it through being soaked and washed away in the flood then recovered. I remember the manager of the museum telling us all the details one day when we went to visit the museum. I am a Denver, Co native that moved to Pueblo in 2017.
My wife and I drove for Schneider trucking company as a team we went through there never knew never knew about the flood at all until now wow and especially that type of devastation to all those people back then this was awesome not the people that passed away through this but what all took place in the country to turn around and bring back some normalcy to these people wow I was moved I enjoy you history guy wow good stuff Edward Schrlau passing it on to the family!! Again thank you very much 💖
Love the kitty. I’ve lived in Colorado and all too familiar with the weather and how the mountains and altitude came make for interesting and sudden deadly weather.
While I was on sabbatical at Colorado State University, Plueblo, we experienced a cloudburst which filled the nearly dry Arkansas River to almost overflowing.
I lived pueblo that our house very high on a hill people crawled up the hill to escape the water and slept in our yard for some time after flood . Thank you
I'd never heard of the flood until I moved to Pueblo 2 years ago. It's crazy how big this event is to the local history but how unknown it is anywhere else.
Hey! The clock has changed time! I'm so used to seeing it display 8:00 that the change caught my eye more so than seeing The History Cat. Great content as usual, Lance!
It is a desert. The ground is hard as concrete and water doesn't soak into it very fast so sudden rainstorms like that will cause massive flash floods.
I turn on the Weather Channel to check the weather and all I find is 'storm stories'. I never saw a 'storm stories' about this event though. History Guy is great. Yall Take Care and be safe, John
You can still see the waterline etched into the brick of many businesses here in the "downtown area" of Pueblo. Great video; thank you for the time and work you put into your videos.
I remember when we went to Nashville TN back in the 50s and Dad showed us how high the water came on the Maxwell House Hotel, Nashville. Old serials like Commando Cody used footage of floods for effects. I wonder where the flood scenes came from, if they were real footage.
My friends and family all seem to have stories of their relatives and 'where they were during the Great Flood'. I was showing some friends here at work who enjoy the shops and restaurants in the revitalized Union Avenue District how much the topography of the whole Downton was altered by the flood. As always, a wonderful telling of the history. Thank you.
Glad to see this. I've been in Pueblo for a few years and the place has an interesting history. I can also attest to the frequent flash floods during the summer rainy season. Normally the area is pretty arid but for a few weeks the area gets hit with frequent storms and in a few minutes you can go from a sunny day to a heavy downpour in minutes. And when that happens you can get flash floods that close down streets. Couple years ago was pretty bad and I had to drive through a spot of water about a foot high. Just a few weeks ago there was a mass grave discovered in one of the local cemeteries and they think it's either from the Spanish flu or from the 1921 flood.
@@TheHistoryGuyChannel I had no idea you’ve visited my little town, Pueblo! Thank you for doing this story. The mass grave might be in the first cemetery in Pueblo, The Pioneer Cemetery or The Roselawn Cemetery.
Some of those old cemeteries have had historical societies document their histories. And that is such a wonderful look into our past. One I can think of is a little country cemetery along highway 99 in between the towns of Wapello and Oakville, Iowa in Louisa County. There are mass graves there from two historic happenings. One grave was a ship load of captured Confederate soldiers being moved to Arsenal Island when disease took most everyone on the ship. The cemetery is not far from the Mississippi, so was convenient for disposal of the dead quickly. Another grave was the dead from a small town that was destroyed by a flood on the Iowa River which was just a few miles south of the cemetery. These dead now lay in the very beautiful and quiet Iowa countryside. Seems fitting for the hell they lost their lives to. Decided to check my sources, and went back through my photos of my trip. The cemetery is the Mallory Cemetery and was established in the 1830's. The town destroyed was named Burris City, and the mass grave was the victims of a plague following the disastrous flood of 1859. The deaths came so quickly and so many that the mass burial was necessary. The plaque went on to say that a portion of the mass grave site was reportedly used for the burial of Confederate prisoners of war who died while being transported to the federal prison at Rock Island. To the south of the mass grave is a beautiful view of the Iowa River Valley. A very beautiful view to console those who come to remember those who rest here.
@@TheHistoryGuyChannel THG: Probably Roselawn, just east of the city limits. The local newspaper just had an article about a research group that had begun ground radar/imaging about possible mass burial sites in the cemetery. Possibly from the flood, or from the Spanish Flu. Have many recollections from long deceased family members regarding the flood. Another cemetery probably would be the Pioneers' Cemetery on the north side of town
As always, The History Guy has taken a complex mix of information and distilled it into edible facts easily digested, where others would have chocked us with superfluous stuff. He makes us aware of devastating events without guilting us. And that too deserves to be remembered.
I'm a 5th-generation Southern Coloradan. I'm born and raised in Pueblo. I never knew the flood was on my birthday, June 4th. Thank you for the history lesson.
As someone who grew up in CO with a dad who’s a history buff, I’d never heard that but your comment made me curious. According to Colorado encyclopedia the first capital was Colorado City, then Golden City, then Denver City. Denver apparently won by only one vote. coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/colorado-territory
Gully washers are something experienced during the monsoon season in the Southwest … what can happen along the Front Range of Colorado is a greater event, while both severe and life threatening, the scale and measure are not the same … having experienced both several times!!
When I was young, I used to perform in Memorial Hall located in downtown Pueblo. There was a hand marking backstage that had a note of the water level of the '21 flood. It was obvious by the elevation of that mark that the level was absurdly high and it has always been amazing to hear of the first person stories like what you share in your video. Thank you for taking time to study and share this important moment of history in my home town's legacy. We have always been a self supporting community and it is no doubt that this trait is proof from 100+ years ago.
June 5th, Saint Boniface Day, 2021. Thanks for the "Jesus I trust you" anecdote from the little nine-year-old girl with the water rising up to her neck. It seems like Jesus was listening. The water came down. It was around the 10-minute mark of the video. Yours in the Lord , Matt
I lived in Pueblo for some time in the 80s. I seem to remember a story about a flood but your presentation of the history will stick with me from now on.
Great video. I was born and raised in Pueblo and lived there my whole life up until about five years ago. The story of this flood is well known by all who are from Pueblo. This was a great recount of it.
I'm a native Puebloan and this popped up randomly in my YT feed. I remember my grandmother recalling watching this flood from the bluffs on the south side of the river on the same day her sister graduated from high school.
I grew up in pueblo myself, I now live west of pueblo. So I'm about 36 Miles away and man how I miss the small town I grew up in, it's not the same place it once was😔
@@MattManProductions It's changed a bit, but it's not a whole lot different at the same time. I spend a fair bit of time there for work and see someone I know virtually every time I'm there. It's kind of nice, actually. It's home.
@@anonosaurus4517 it's been a while since I've been to pueblo,I just hear a lot of things bad about the town now a days. So I don't really miss it 🤷♂️
@@MattManProductions Eh, it's Pueblo. I think it has the problems it's always had, and I think they've been made worse by the legalization of MJ. I don't think you can be permissive about drugs and also have poor education, poverty, lack of job opportunities, and have a healthy city. Having said that, it's still a friendly city, and many of the staples of what's made it what it is are still alive and well. I was there on Tuesday and had a slopper and schooner of Coors Light at Coors Tavern. It doesn't get more classically "Pueblo" than that.
I also live in pueblo
I have lived in Pueblo, CO most of my life of 54 years. Yes we all know the flood, the Rail station still shows the high water mark of '21. Pueblo is known for three things actually, Steel City, the flood of '21 and having the highest per capita Medal of Honor recipients (4). Thank you for your perspective and research on our flood, I thoroughly enjoyed this and all of your work.
I'm a carpenter and out boxes of nails came from there
Wow, 4 MOA recipients! Pueblo must be a special place.
What about the Government Printing Office? Is it still there?
@@billd.iniowa2263 I doubt if Pueblo has 4 MOA per capita (person). It probably has 4 MOA overall.
@@billd.iniowa2263 President Dwight D. Eisenhower upon presenting Raymond G. “Jerry” Murphy with his Medal in 1953 commented, “What is it…something in the water out there in Pueblo? All you guys turn out to be heroes!” In 1993 Colorado Representative Scott McInnis had read into the Congressional Record information about Pueblo and it’s recipients of the Medal of Honor. He cited at that time that it was the only city to have this record of four living recipients from the same hometown. Following that declaration in the Congressional Record, the Pueblo City Council adopted the “Home of Heroes” theme.
I love Pueblo. Lived there for a few years. Overall, the people are quirky and friendly. 💜 HG - I read that the women at the phone company stayed on at work trying to ring as many as could be warned of the coming flood and saved many. They were in the direct path of the flood but thankfully they were in a building with many floors. Harrowing. Thank you for this story.
They did- stayed until water was at their feet
My mother worked at Mountain Bell for 40 plus years in pueblo. But she born in pueblo just before the flood. Happened!!
Great piece very informative with new information I had not seen and I live in Pueblo. One of the reasons the death count was so hard to obtain is because of the August 7, 1904 Eden Train Wreck that happened previously, and washed a train down the river as well. That happened a few miles north of Pueblo in an arroyo called Porter Draw, and the train was full of families returning on Sunday evening from a lovely day in Colorado Springs. I worked for an historic cemetery in Pueblo and did a lot of research and genealogy for families of both tragedies. Amazing stories of heroism and very strong and resilient people, and the spirit of these ancestors is alive and well in Pueblo today.
Pueblo is my hometown. My great grandfather was a long distance runner in high school. He said they were used as message runners for the state guard for 2 weeks. They were "tipped" with cigarettes at each stop.
The Pueblo Union Station has a mark high up on an interior wall depicting the height that the flood waters reached.
As a Pueblo native for all 42 years of my life, my Grandma told me about this. Thank you for the more in depth history lesson. Much appreciated.
Fun fact: If the flood hadn't happened, my grandfather wouldn't have come from MO for a job in Pueblo to help rebuild, where he met my grandmother...and I would not be writing this comment today. 😊
things like this are so neat
@Librocubicularist the path that took him here LED you to the path that brought you here. That is pretty cool
Thanks for making this video. I have lived in Pueblo all my life. My great-grandfather was on city council in 1895-1896 and again in 1899-1900. I know this story well. My grandfather was 8 years old when the flood happened. There was also a flood in Pueblo in 1965 I remember well. I was 7 at the time. We now have the Fryingpan-Arkansas Project authorized by President Kennedy in 1962. There was a large dam built across the Arkansas River to control flooding in the area. I'm looking forward to your next video!
In 1989 I worked part time in a nursing home and there’s was a lady that resided there that was telling me a story of her living trough the flood, she said she lived in a brick 3 story house and had to climb to the attic as waters raised through house till it reached the attic door, she said she thought she would die. The next day when she could get out she could see railroad cars all over the place, animals and people were buried in mud. She and Her family all servived
Having lived off Fountain Creek before, I can testify that it will scare you how fast it would fill up from a rainstorm miles away
The whole Ark valley down to the state line can get scary after a big rain! The ark flattens and widens as it goes east and it's also sandy and shallow. When a lot of rain comes down, it goes up!
My grandparents were survivors of that flood. I remember my grandmother telling a story how my grandfather went to inform friends of theirs that the dam burst and to go with them to higher ground - an area called “Goat Hill”. They didn’t listen and died in the flood. All this time I though the dam bursting was the reason for the flood. Now it appears that there was already devastation for a couple days prior to that already. She also mentioned the Red Cross helping them afterwards as they had nothing left.
My dad grew up on Goat Hill.
The History Cat listened carefully to your every word... just like the rest of us history nerds.
Yes HC is awesome. I love when we get to see them. It softens the blow of the sad history for me. 💜
Cats are demons and must be dealt with accordingly.
The cat is letting us know that the history guy is a man of good character
History Cat was trying to escape there at the end.
Get him/her all hyped up on catnip, then do the show.
Pueblo is only 100 miles away from me. Fascinating what happened there 100 years ago. Great Chile festival there in September
Amen to that!
Just recently Colorado State University did ground penetrating radar search of the Roselawn Cemetery in Pueblo, they found a mass burial site with at least 200 bodies believed to be flood casualties.
Have any links to this.
@@parker6334 TH-cam deletes direct links from what I hear, but if you type into google KRDO news and the title of the article which is: "Historians discover unmarked mass grave in Pueblo dating back to early 20th century" it should come up for you!
The Big Thompson is a flood to be remembered as well, father in law, worked recovering bodies and search and rescue. Very well done with this video!
Interesting to compare 100 years later, Pueblo and southeastern Colorado is getting their usual amount of moisture. The Western Slope, the entire western portion of the state, is in a severe drought. While the northeastern portion, including Denver, has gotten far more moisture than usual, by now having gotten more this year than they usually get in an entire year. Last summer was incredibly dry though. You can never know what to expect with weather in Colorado, it will always do something strange. I'm just hoping this extra moisture in the Denver area will result in lots of apples though.
Rats...I do like Palisade peaches.
@@ex-navyspook Yeah, might not get many of those this year. I heard there weren't any last year either, I think it was a late freeze.
Pueblo is a hole. Geographical is.
This was very interesting. My dad was born and raised in Pueblo (after this flood) but I don't remember him ever mentioning this catastrophic event before he died. Have you looked into the Eden train wreck of 1904? It was very near Pueblo. We lost two family members in that disaster.
I was brought here by a story that I just read from one of my ancestors. Their Aunt and Uncle (Addie and Harry Brookhart) had a farm and nursery there that was a complete loss. The family made it out safe, but all of their livestock was washed away. Thank you for sharing this bit of history. It helps to see and understand as I read these stories.
I can’t hear Pueblo, Colorado without adding “81009” & “The Free Consumer Information Catalog” from those weird commercials between cartoons in the ‘80s.
I was thinking the same thing!
@@richardheinen1126 Me too!
I actually wrote and ordered one, as a kid. Why not, it was free! Horribly disappointing. Writing to NASA as a kid and asking for free stuff yielded WAY better envelopes, full of swag.
As a child in the 80s I called and ordered magazines from every state that offered them.
And now I can't unhear it.
I would like to see this channel hit 1,000,000 subs. That would be an historical moment that will deserve to be remembered.
I remember stumbling upon this channel back when it only had like 30K subs, it’s great to see a quality channel grow!
Been watching about a year but just subscribed; one of the few worth watching.
I salute you sir, you make history personable and fun to observe!
Good quality content is hard to find. THG is all about quality.
Ethan, "1 million subs" is a number that would easily fly under the radar; but would it fly under the sonar?🤔
Another one knocked out of the park.
Having grown up right down the road from Pueblo, I can tell you that to this day you can still see the high water marks on some of the buildings, if you know what you’re looking for.
I live on the Arkansas River near where it crosses into Oklahoma from Kansas.
The Arkansas flooded leven in our area a great many times between 1920 to 1942.
Yet, old timers told me about cleaning debris from Pueblo flood out of the water.
Some pronounce "R-Kansas"
river, depending on proximity to Kansas. 😀
I live in Ar'Kansas' City but call it the Arkansas River😁
Howdy Neighbor! Rivers up!
I've guess I need to define the term, "leven."
It is an old term used to explain that flooding water had reached the top of the levy.
Even with the levy. I have no idea when or what country I picked it up.
All of the previous existing infrastructure of the mound builder was demolished in 1866 and caused all these problems.
When I arrived 27 years ago in Pueblo, I met an older man who had witnessed the flood when he was 12 years old. They had lived on north side of town, so safe, however because of the phone calls warning of the wave of water on the way, his dad took him and his brother across the 4th st bridge and sat up on the hill over the river below Abriendo st. They had no idea of what was about to happen, and the old man said they heard the crashing, seeing the water roll through town, with bridges, buildings, railroad cars tumbling, and most of all the voices of hundreds of people screaming. Even though he told me the story 74 years later, he said he had never forgotten what he saw and heard, and still had nightmares.
Do you remember the name of the old man that who told you the story? I live on the northside not too far from Mineral Palace Park...I have an Ancestry account, and I love looking up folks and seeing where they lived, what they did, etc. There is also a great website called the "Colorado Historic Newspaper Archives" with many of the old CO newspapers scanned in, and you can search all manner of fascinating things with key words, names, and dates.
It was great to hear the quotes from the Collbran Colorado paper! Collbran is a very small community situated a long way from Pueblo, and I find it surprising that in your research they apparently had an article worth quoting over other bigger papers. Ironically, in 2014 the largest mudslide in Colorado history occurred just outside of Collbran that made national news because it took the lives of three locals. The salt Creek mudslide was a very sad day for our community
The two Pueblo papers at the time were temporarily put out of commission, and could only print single page broadsheet “extras.” Papers in area communities, I think, took up the slack.
A lot of the front range in Colorado has stories like this when we get major upslope storms. 2013 had major floods in multiple areas, but especially Boulder, Colorado was hit very hard. There was also the big Thompson canyon flood of 1976 (also a cloudburst). Most of these live on in local memory. Someone we knew was caught in the 76 flood and spent the night clinging to the canyon walls 40’ up when their ambulance was washed away and found 30+ miles down stream.
Yup, and that's why I don't have a home along a canyon wall. The Big Thompson flood still haunts me. My family and I were up a side canyon when the flood came. We got out but barely.
Yeah, 2013 was crazy, all the way out to Frederick 40 minutes east of Boulder was flooded. I had to use my dirt bike to get around.
2013 was nuts. I remember listening to the weather wonk on News 4 talking about the amount of water which had fallen on the Boulder Valley (I think the storm dumped...19 inches there...14 out in Centennial where I lived), and it was estimated to be measured in billions of gallons. First time I remember my son's school being canceled as a result of rain.
@@ex-navyspook i remember the picture from 1000’ up the mile wide river flowing out of boulder
I remember watching the television news the night of the Big Thompson flood. Bob Palmer reported on a large rainstorm and a wall of water that moved down the Poudre Valley. They didn't have very many details until the next morning.
As a long time resident of Pueblo, I always love hearing the history and recounts of this piece of it's past. There are several historical markers of the flood around here to study, and since I live only a few blocks of the 4th st bridge it is always so amusing to see the maps and birds eye views of the flood and see the relationship to how it is today. It actually still flash floods here more often than you'd expect since they have built several ways to reroute the water around here. It had such a devasating impact on the community, its so crazy to hear about every time. Thanks for the video :)
The Electric Arc Furnace at the Evraz facility there blew up last weekend. Apparently that facility is the USA's largest supplier of railcar wheels.
@Mr. Petrie: Yes Sir, that happened. I live in Pueblo and heard the blast (though I didn’t know what had occurred at that time), and later saw a huge, black smoke and ash “cloud” rising for hours. And I’m about 2.5 miles from the mill- an indication of how powerful the blast was. Unfortunately, Evraz, through stupidity, lack of awareness or just terrible PR subsequently claimed in a press release that no Evraz employees were injured or seriously injured, when in fact several employees were badly hurt and one, a severe burn victim, had to be transported to a Denver, Colorado burn unit by helicopter. The company blew its response and I only hope that man will recover. Long road in front of him. As an aside, Evraz is a Russian-owned company. Another Pueblo disaster. Mishaps at the small portion of the mill still operating are common, even today.
8 people injured, 3 critical.
Wow! I've driven by it several times. Hope the critical patients pull through.
Yes , the Evraz Group is actually a Russian owned business.
THAT was the noise?!
I live in Colorado, I here a lot about the Arkansas valley and Pueblo in the wather report. They talk about potential for flooding in that area all the time. Now I know why thanks H.G...
Pueblo rarely gets rain, not sure what you are hearing about potential flooding down here. When it rains its for 5 minutes lol.
Historybill is part of my e-mail address...i was born and raised in pueblo, Colorado both of my parents also!!! I grew up listening to stories of the flood and to this day along union ave their are high water markers on the surviving buildings!! In the video i recognized some names, Kress's, a 5 and dime store with a sign in the video, it still existed in business into the 60's!! Funny the big train depot which is still open to this day i got my first haircut across the street from there, my dad too, same barbershop!! Thanks for showing this, it was well done!!
I remember in the 70s wehad a school assignment to send a SASE to Pueblo Colorado for a free publication of our choice.. I forgot what I chose but was happy to see it arrive at my home weeks later..
Fountain creek starts as a ditch.
In my home town of Woodland Park Colorado.
It’s just hard to imagine that ditch being somewhat responsible for such a devastating flood.
I didn't appreciate the power of water until I took a 2 hour nap during a rainstorm one day in San Antonio, Texas, and woke up to several phone calls from friends about the "disaster". Two blocks away, people were waiting for rescue from the roofs of their houses, and someone had died trying to save their dog suddenly swept away...two kids thought it was a good idea to put a raft in a nearby drainage ditch and "ride the rapids", but did not survive, due to the dangerous amounts of debris in the water and its speed. For some reason, our street was just a little higher than surrounding streets, even though water was coming through our bedroom ceiling. The most vivid memory I have is of giant, really giant, water roaches crawling up the walls outside after being driven out of their usual areas. It was the most terrifying thing I've ever seen. I didn't know insects could get that big! I didn't think even a .357 would take them out!
Those are tree roaches, and they live outside, which is why you typically don't see them indoors.
Always good to see The History Cat.
The vest paired with your bow tie looks very sharp good sir!
I've lived in Colorado for fifty years and thought I knew a little bit about the state's history. I knew nothing of this story, Possibly it faded into obscurity in the shadow of the 1965 flood that ravaged Denver and the Thompson River flood of 1976. Thank you for the history lesson.
Suggestion for a future video: the Sunnyside Mine disaster. It’s located outside Silverton, CO, and when I went there our local tour guide told a very interesting story (no idea if it’s documented) about a miner who was sure the roof of the mine was unstable so he snuck into the mine to ensure that the collapse would occur on a Sunday when all the other miners weren’t there.
As an ex Grand County, Colorado resident, and a fan of it's history, there's a story involving a Mountain Ute band and a posse, as well as a July 4, 1883 gunfight in Grand Lake, Colorado that left seven dead or missing, presumed dead, including the County Sheriff and three County Commissioners.
Colorado history is so rich because it's foundation is so recent. I am sure that every Colorado mountain community has a local history worth remembering and more, dramatized. It would take much effort to make the fiction more dramatic that the reality.
The name "Sunnyside Mine" rings a bell. The story sounds like urban legend, but that doesn't mean it's not based at least in part on an actual incident. As I think about it, a union organizer's story perhaps.
"Yet as one brave man was willing to risk his life to save others, you must be willing to risk no more but a little of your time to hear what I have to say, that is solidarity, for only together, not as individuals, can we protect ourselves from the Big Bad Management that forces miners to risk life, limb and health for the sake of the luxury of a few."
Funny you should mention. A friend recently told me of this accident and i did some reading on it.
@@andywomack3414 As a fellow former Grand County resident, if I remember correctly, that gunfight was over whether Hot Sulphur Springs or Grand Lake would be the county seat. With the Grand Lake delegation mostly, if not completely, wiped out, Hot Sulphur won by default.
@@ChrisCaramia We probably read the same book, "Island in the Rockies" Everyone involved either died or went missing, never to be seen again.
I have visited the grave sites of the three commissioners who died.
I’m from Colorado and never learned about this flood until now!
Same
Glad to see you give your cat some airtime Mr. History Guy.
If I had to give that heartbreaking presentation, I would have needed a service animal in my lap!
Whether any of the cats appear in a video is completely up to the cat.
+1. I used to really like THG. Now that I know he's a cat guy, I LOVE THG!! ;-)
@@TheHistoryGuyChannel and don’t forget everything in that room belongs to the cat, including you.
Love your cat. Our Minerva looked a lot like your cat....smartest cat ever.
Lance, I am so pleased that you are a cat person. 🐈 Your kitty seems very tame and loving. Cat owners know what I am talking about.
We have three cats. This one is Pookie, and he is the most friendly cat in world. Although, truth be told, I think he was mainly begging for treats...
@@TheHistoryGuyChannel cats let you live in THEIR house, do they not?
Every 10-15 years we get a big flood. Big Thompson, Denver back in the mid '60's and more than I can't name.Plus the occasional tornado out on the plains. Beautiful country, Nature reminds us she's still here and has a vote. Mr History Guy,another great episode!
Uh oh, the History Guy was only a front! Its actually Dr.No! (the cat gave it away...😎)
Or (for those under 50) Dr Claw.
I'LL GET YOU NEXT TIME, GADGET!
@@HM2SGT 🤣🤣👍👍👍
ThatDamnedYankee, hahahahaha! The cat does give the Dr. No character away.
Literally the first thing that went through my mind
Blofeld with a wig...
I grew up about 35 miles northeast of Pueblo, I learned a lot from the episode! My great grandparents were some of the original settlers in the community that I grew up in, and my grandma would tell stories of how things got washed away during this flood.
Fountain Creek is still notorious for flooding and continues to have a terrible erosion erosion problem not so much the Arkansas anymore.
Thank you for this, History Guy! I live 40 miles up the road from Pueblo and knew very little about this flood. Another great disaster happened near Pueblo, in 1904. It was the Eden train wreck, when a flash flood on Fountain creek washed out a train trestle and over 100 people died. It was one of the worst train wrecks in US history, and its location is marked only by a small wooden sign 50 yards off the adjacent highway.
13:58 I like how they suspended Prohibition after the flood, in the interest of sanitation. I'm sure lots of folks needed a stiff drink before tackling the cleanup effort.
Once again, I learned something today about history... that deserves to be remembered! Sadly, like many historical events, this one involves tragedy and loss. 😟. But, an episode well done 👍
I really enjoy the 100 year ago today episodes. Keep up the great story telling.👍
Excellent. I love the old Americana stories. Thanks.
While telling the story of Pueblo, a sad and historical rap
The subject though scary, was made secondary
By the cat, who just sat, on my lap
Bravo!
@@raydunakin Pueblo sucks. It's Colorado's murder capital and you might get ambushed in a drive by shooting.
Every like is another treat for History Cat!
I love new "old stories"! I hated history in school, now I need my "fix" as much as possible
I have lived in Pueblo since 1981, nice quiet laid back town.
My Father lived there for many years. I have spent many a fond moment in Pueblo. Some great restaurants down on the riverwalk.
Awesome to see you give a li'l love to my home town, Pueblo!!
Well cool. Pueblo is my hometown too. I remember hearing about this from childhood.
Truly delightful to see such a wonderfully accurate and caring recounting of my homes worst day. We never did recover from this as just as the city was finally getting back on it's feet, the great depression came.
A interesting point for a further episode: Little Chicago. it is said that the prohibition came 4 years earlier than the rest of the US and had the same criminal effects. The streets that had been filled with debris from the flood were now one full story higher. This is just as the great earthquake of Portland Oregon. And so there were and still are tunnels that exist under the streets and sidewalks. These became smugglers haves for speakeasies and booze storage. The local Italians created smuggling fro all of southern Colorado, and organized crime grew, still influencing the city today (resulting in the lower than average federal funding for the city). The soda pop dependence you mentioned never left and become a staple in many houses even today. I always wondered why it was so. Funny that the History guy helped me to know my own home even better! From a fellow historian.......thank you
Greg G Pueblo native
another fun fact: Pueblo was founded by one of the most amazing people the west ever produced. The emancipated son of a slave
and slave owner Jim Beckwith.
I wish the history guy would talk about the June 1972 flood in the NY southern tier due to hurricane Agnes and a stationary front that cost several million dollars. The famous Corning Museum of Glass still has the flood line of several hundred feet. This is history that deserves to be remembered.
History Cat demands sacrifices to the algorithms.
A sacrifice that History Guy happily obliged.
Earl Grey enjoyed seeing his twin at work.
All cats are demons and must be fed to the dogs.
😆 🐈 🐈⬛ 🐈 😆
@@TattedIrishxxx Pueblo sucks plain and simple. Pueblo is Colorado's murder capital.
Pueblo Colorado is my hometown. It really damaged the town with long term economic consequences.
I remember going thru Lamar, CO after the flood of 65. - Interesting. Used to own a saddle from Pueblo. Can't remember the name- Frazier maybe?
There used to be a replica horse on Union Avenue for I believe it was Mac's Saddalry at the time.
Yes! Frazier is the name! He and his wife made nationally famous, quality saddles. Their home still stands today on the historic northside of Pueblo at the southwest corner of 22nd and Elizabeth St. It is the beefiest, most gorgeous craftsman style bungalow-mansion I have ever seen (and I am an old house nerd)! The house had sinks in most of the rooms as the saddle making process involves making sure the hands don't get skin oils onto the leather. I was also told that he incorporated large springs that were big versions of what were use in wagons etc into the house foundation so the foundation would better be able to handle shifting in the soil etc. It is a gorgeous house.
@@generalripper1964 The ORIGINAL horse that sat in Frazier's store that was washed away in the flood then found mostly intact in a tree after the flood still exists and you can see it at the Pueblo Heritage Museum near the Pueblo Train Depot. The horse was made from paper mache then a special coating and painted, and the darn thing made it through being soaked and washed away in the flood then recovered. I remember the manager of the museum telling us all the details one day when we went to visit the museum. I am a Denver, Co native that moved to Pueblo in 2017.
@@jercasgav Thank you for the information.
I live in Pueblo off of B. St right by the river. A train car is still in my backyard to this day!
Buried? Or can you see it from Google earth
@@ScarrednCharred it's not buried
Thank you THG. I lived in Colorado for 45 years and had never heard this story. You make history fascinating.
12:50 Imagine looking out your window to see your old house coming to visit you...😳
Thanks THG and love when a History Cat graces us with their presence. 💜
My wife and I drove for Schneider trucking company as a team we went through there never knew never knew about the flood at all until now wow and especially that type of devastation to all those people back then this was awesome not the people that passed away through this but what all took place in the country to turn around and bring back some normalcy to these people wow I was moved I enjoy you history guy wow good stuff Edward Schrlau passing it on to the family!! Again thank you very much 💖
Love the kitty. I’ve lived in Colorado and all too familiar with the weather and how the mountains and altitude came make for interesting and sudden deadly weather.
While I was on sabbatical at Colorado State University, Plueblo, we experienced a cloudburst which filled the nearly dry Arkansas River to almost overflowing.
Love it when your cat makes an appearance
He wanted to be held
The cat is CEO of the history guy inc. 😂
@@TheHistoryGuyChannel I would have needed a service animal in my lap if I had to give that heartbreaking presentation.
@@chainweaver3361 CEO fits- he does seem to run the place, yet do no apparent work.
the history guy is officially a cat petting supervillian
I lived pueblo that our house very high on a hill people crawled up the hill to escape the water and slept in our yard for some time after flood . Thank you
I'd never heard of the flood until I moved to Pueblo 2 years ago. It's crazy how big this event is to the local history but how unknown it is anywhere else.
Hey! The clock has changed time!
I'm so used to seeing it display 8:00 that the change caught my eye more so than seeing The History Cat.
Great content as usual, Lance!
The clock doesn’t work, and never did. Some friends ribbed me about it the other day, so I moved the hands.
@@TheHistoryGuyChannel, sure it works! At least twice a day it tells the correct time! ;)
@@ELCADAROSA yep, even a broken clock will be have the right time twice a day!
Have driven through Trinidad / Pueblo / Canyon City many times.
Hard to imagine it flooding like this. It looks like a desert.
It is the desert
It is a desert. The ground is hard as concrete and water doesn't soak into it very fast so sudden rainstorms like that will cause massive flash floods.
I turn on the Weather Channel to check the weather and all I find is 'storm stories'. I never saw a 'storm stories' about this event though.
History Guy is great.
Yall Take Care and be safe, John
You can still see the waterline etched into the brick of many businesses here in the "downtown area" of Pueblo. Great video; thank you for the time and work you put into your videos.
Hundreds killed in flood. "Awwww! Cute kitty!!" We are a strange bunch..
😆 😂 😝 🐈 🐈 🐈
😂😂😺
I remember when we went to Nashville TN back in the 50s and Dad showed us how high the water came on the Maxwell House Hotel, Nashville. Old serials like Commando Cody used footage of floods for effects. I wonder where the flood scenes came from, if they were real footage.
Lots of those high water markers in the St Louis area as well. It seems a ubiquitous way to remember history
Yes! I have been shown high water marks from the 1951 flood(s) in Kansas by my parents and others.
They are all over Florence, Italy from the 1966 flood.
My friends and family all seem to have stories of their relatives and 'where they were during the Great Flood'. I was showing some friends here at work who enjoy the shops and restaurants in the revitalized Union Avenue District how much the topography of the whole Downton was altered by the flood. As always, a wonderful telling of the history. Thank you.
Did not know this bit of history. Been near Pueblo many times and did not hear of this event. Thank you
Glad to see this. I've been in Pueblo for a few years and the place has an interesting history. I can also attest to the frequent flash floods during the summer rainy season. Normally the area is pretty arid but for a few weeks the area gets hit with frequent storms and in a few minutes you can go from a sunny day to a heavy downpour in minutes. And when that happens you can get flash floods that close down streets. Couple years ago was pretty bad and I had to drive through a spot of water about a foot high.
Just a few weeks ago there was a mass grave discovered in one of the local cemeteries and they think it's either from the Spanish flu or from the 1921 flood.
My father lived in Pueblo for many years- I have spent a good deal of time there. Do you know which cemetery?
@@TheHistoryGuyChannel
I had no idea you’ve visited my little town, Pueblo! Thank you for doing this story.
The mass grave might be in the first cemetery in Pueblo, The Pioneer Cemetery or The Roselawn Cemetery.
Some of those old cemeteries have had historical societies document their histories. And that is such a wonderful look into our past. One I can think of is a little country cemetery along highway 99 in between the towns of Wapello and Oakville, Iowa in Louisa County. There are mass graves there from two historic happenings. One grave was a ship load of captured Confederate soldiers being moved to Arsenal Island when disease took most everyone on the ship. The cemetery is not far from the Mississippi, so was convenient for disposal of the dead quickly. Another grave was the dead from a small town that was destroyed by a flood on the Iowa River which was just a few miles south of the cemetery. These dead now lay in the very beautiful and quiet Iowa countryside. Seems fitting for the hell they lost their lives to.
Decided to check my sources, and went back through my photos of my trip. The cemetery is the Mallory Cemetery and was established in the 1830's. The town destroyed was named Burris City, and the mass grave was the victims of a plague following the disastrous flood of 1859. The deaths came so quickly and so many that the mass burial was necessary. The plaque went on to say that a portion of the mass grave site was reportedly used for the burial of Confederate prisoners of war who died while being transported to the federal prison at Rock Island. To the south of the mass grave is a beautiful view of the Iowa River Valley. A very beautiful view to console those who come to remember those who rest here.
@@TheHistoryGuyChannel THG: Probably Roselawn, just east of the city limits. The local newspaper just had an article about a research group that had begun ground radar/imaging about possible mass burial sites in the cemetery. Possibly from the flood, or from the Spanish Flu. Have many recollections from long deceased family members regarding the flood. Another cemetery probably would be the Pioneers' Cemetery on the north side of town
@@TheHistoryGuyChannel It's definitely Roselawn. Colorado Matters on CPR just recently had a segment about this.
Who's that guy with Pookie?
As always, The History Guy has taken a complex mix of information and distilled it into edible facts easily digested, where others would have chocked us with superfluous stuff. He makes us aware of devastating events without guilting us. And that too deserves to be remembered.
Being born and raised in Denver, I have not learned of this disaster until this day. Thank you History Guy.
The Rocky Mtn PBS just shown this
Thank you for the lesson.
I had never heard of the Pueblo flood.
I enjoy your content very much and you're looking around your office you have some very neat collectibles
I'm a 5th-generation Southern Coloradan. I'm born and raised in Pueblo. I never knew the flood was on my birthday, June 4th. Thank you for the history lesson.
Great way to start my day!!! Keep up the great content! I never heard about this
I may be dating myself, but when I think of Pueblo Colorado, I remember the old commercials for government publications…
As a Puebloan im glad someone shares our history for others to hear
If I’m not correct, the flood was one of the reasons why the capitol of Colorado was moved from Pueblo to Denver in 1922.
As someone who grew up in CO with a dad who’s a history buff, I’d never heard that but your comment made me curious. According to Colorado encyclopedia the first capital was Colorado City, then Golden City, then Denver City. Denver apparently won by only one vote.
coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/colorado-territory
I KNEW there was a reason I liked this channel so much!
Fellow CAT LOVER!
Another word I’ve heard for this type of storm is “Gully-washer”.
frog strangler
My mother called them turd floaters. 🙄 Yeah
Gully washers are something experienced during the monsoon season in the Southwest … what can happen along the Front Range of Colorado is a greater event, while both severe and life threatening, the scale and measure are not the same … having experienced both several times!!
@@cheddar2648 - I'd always heard "toad strangler" since most toads are not big fans of water whereas frogs are...
When I was young, I used to perform in Memorial Hall located in downtown Pueblo. There was a hand marking backstage that had a note of the water level of the '21 flood. It was obvious by the elevation of that mark that the level was absurdly high and it has always been amazing to hear of the first person stories like what you share in your video.
Thank you for taking time to study and share this important moment of history in my home town's legacy.
We have always been a self supporting community and it is no doubt that this trait is proof from 100+ years ago.
One of history's most knowledgeable cats on history... Love the cat and as usual great job.
June 5th, Saint Boniface Day, 2021.
Thanks for the "Jesus I trust you" anecdote from the little nine-year-old girl with the water rising up to her neck. It seems like Jesus was listening. The water came down. It was around the 10-minute mark of the video.
Yours in the Lord ,
Matt
Like Marlon Brando, the cat in the lap, the Godfather of History!
I lived in Pueblo for some time in the 80s. I seem to remember a story about a flood but your presentation of the history will stick with me from now on.
I lived near Johnstown, PA and remember the flood of 77. Now I live near Pueblo. Pueblo and Johnstown are very similar towns.
That must be one mean History Cat......History Guy's wearing a Kevlar vest
Puddy cat photo bombing THG. LOL
History guy takes his own life in his hands there ... or paws I guess ... that cat looks _angry_ ...
@@russcrawford3310It's a corporate hostile take over of "The History Guy" by puddy cat.
@@russcrawford3310 Nah. Just bored.
Where's my chain mail! I want to hold the cat😼😂
"The sea was angry that day my friends, like an old man trying to send back soup in a deli."
Is that a Titleist?
Not that there is anything wrong with that...
Pueblo is a desert.
That was one of the funniest (to me) episodes.
Great video. I was born and raised in Pueblo and lived there my whole life up until about five years ago. The story of this flood is well known by all who are from Pueblo. This was a great recount of it.
Keep up the interesting bits of history. Thank you.