Longmont and the St Vrain Creek - A Story of Water (4K)

This video is a bike tour of the St. Vrain Greenway, pausing at several locations to discuss the importance of the St. Vrain Creek in the history of Longmont, Colorado. Topics covered include the settlements at Sandstone Ranch and Burlington, the Great Western Sugar Factor, the history of flooding in the St. Vrain Valley culminating in the 2013 flood, and water recreation sites like Golden Ponds Natural Area. Together these topics illustrated the importance of water to Longmont, supporting initial agriculture in the region and the founding of the city, as well as its later population growth, but also the danger posed by the St. Vrain Creek throughout the history of Longmont. The St. Vrain Greenway Trail shows us both the benefits of the creek as well as the best location to see the destructive effects that water can have. It was created for HIST705: Public History at Liberty University.