Up a Lazy River

Up a Lazy River. Bridging the Centuries. , The South Platte River has endured more than two centuries of ridicule, exploitation, and abuse. Yet the river that gave Denver life flows on, bringing hope that future generations will protect and respect this vital and historic waterway., Where Rivers Change Direction , Most rivers and streams that begin on the eastern side of the Continental Divide flow to the east. But the South Platte River takes a major detour before it joins its twin, the North Platte River, in Nebraska. , The South Platte arises from springs and snow melt in the mountains rimming South Park. Its clear waters rush southeast until a rocky terrain change forces the flow abruptly northward. As it leaves the mountains, the river enters a long indentation in the land that conducts it further north through Denver. Finally, after picking up the icy waters of the Big Thompson and Cache La Poudre Rivers, the South Platte resumes its easterly flow near Greeley. , Cherry Creek flows into the South Platte from higher ground on the valley's eastern side. The rich bottom lands where the waterways converge are as hospitable to life as they are prone to deathly flooding. , Scorning Denver’s Lifeblood , The South Platte River drew scorn from the start of white expansion into the western frontier. It was named by French Canadian explorers for its very flatness. French speakers also named the mountain range looming over the river “Les Montagnes Rocheuses,” or the Rocky Mountains. , The land acquired by the United States in the Louisiana Purchase included modern day Colorado north of the Arkansas River and east of the Continental Divide. Captain Zebulon Pike led the first U.S. exploration of the Arkansas River drainage in 1806. , Then in 1820, Major Stephen H. Long led an expedition of 20 scientists and engineers to explore the South Platte River drainage. Their mission was to map the area and to determine if it could support farms and towns. Long described the territory as “almost wholly unfit for cultivation and, of course, uninhabitable by a people depending upon agriculture for their subsistence.” , Unviable Viaducts , Built between 1887 and 1925, the viaducts spanning the Central Platte Valley were a source of pride for both the City of Denver and the Denver City Tramway Company. Trolley tracks crossed the unsightly river and railyards, connecting growing suburban communities to the heart of the city. , The first of Denver's great iron and steel elevated roadways was the 23rd Street Viaduct, erected in 1887. It was followed in 1889 by the 16th Street and Larimer Street Viaducts. The 14th Street Viaduct rose in 1898. , When Denver's trolley system stopped operating in 1950, the viaducts became little more than elevated roadbeds. Most of them had serious structural problems. The city launched an ambitious plan to eradicate the viaducts, citing steady deterioration and the need to improve automobile access to the downtown area. , Liquid Abomination , In 1872, Walter Cheesman, James Archer, David Moffat, William Byers and other entrepreneurs built the city's first water company on 15th Street beside the first South Platte River bridge. The new Denver Water Company boasted that it "now supplies the city with an abundance of water as pure as that leaping forth from the mountain canyons." , Dr. Harrison A. Lemen of the State Board of Health disagreed. He claimed that the river carried the "fluid wastes from laundries and mills, from stables and pig sties, from cow yards and privies, even waste from the county jail, mingling its abominations directly with water in the stream." , Ignoring such criticism, Denver Water Company owners continued to boost the South Platte Valley as the healthiest spot on earth. Rocky Mountain News Editor Byers further claimed that Denver was easy to reach by steamboat. Targeting gullible Eastern readers, Byers even printed a "Shipping News" section in his newspaper. , Spanning the Ages , After the South Platte flooded in 1878, metal bridges began to replace the rickety wooden bridges that first spanned the Central Platte Valley. The 19th Street Bridge is the only remaining of these 19th Century structures. , An unusually handsome example of early metal truss design, the 19th Street Bridge is the most heavily ornamented in the state. Although no longer open to traffic, the 19th Street Bridge stands as a testament to the days when bridges and viaducts linked the river town of Denver with the Highlands neighborhood and points west. , [photo captions] , . The South Platte cuts a swath through the farmlands of Weld County, circa 1882. , . Explorer Stephen H. Long labeled the landscape surrounding the South Platte “the Great American Desert.” , . One of many to scoff at the South Platte River, Mark Twain called it “…a melancholy stream straggling through the center of the enormous flat plain…” He further quipped: “It’s such a small thing. If it were my river I wouldn’t leave it out at night. Why some dog would come along and lap it all up!” , . By the end of the 19th Century, the Central Platte Valley was a maze of railroad tracks and viaducts. Here the 14th Street Viaduct rises from the riverbed. , . For decades, the 19th Street Bridge was a Central Platte Valley landmark. Today the old bridge is dwarfed by the underpasses and overpasses crossing the valley. , . The 15th Street Bridge crosses the South Platte to the first Denver Waterworks Plant. , Photographs courtesy of The Denver Public Library and The Colorado Historical Society. , This project was made possible by a State Historical Grant awarded by The Colorado Historical Society. , Additional support was provided by the Department of Parks and Recreation, City and County of Denver, Wellington E. Webb, Mayor, 1993-2003; and the Mayor's South Platte River Commission.