[1927] Street cave-in in Englewood Flood – S. Broadway & Hampden
Street cave-in in Englewood Flood – S. Broadway & Hampden
“April showers bring May flowers” is an expression that’s much older than anyone currently reading this blog. In bone-dry Denver, however, those April (and May and June showers) can also bring a fair amount of genuine chaos.
Take, for example, this 1927 Harry Mellon Rhoads photo (Rh-394) that was snapped at the intersection of S. Broadway and Hampden. Longtime Denverites probably know that this part of town seems particularly prone to flooding during rains. A stretch of nearby Alameda floods so regularly that it is sometimes referred to as “Alameda Falls.”
In this particular photo, the bridge has caved in and an abundance of water is the likely culprit. In the background of the photo sharp-eyed readers can observe a pile of lumber and a washed out building or two. This pile of debris could possibly have been washed away from one of the nearby lumber yards.
April showers, it turns out, are something of a mixed blessing in the Mile High City. Without a fair amount of accumulated moisture during the winter and early spring, a summer drought is a near certainty. Too much rain in one shot, however, can frequently be more than this old prairie town can handle.
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