Laramie River Flood

Last week the Laramie River overran its banks and caused quiet a stir in West Laramie. There were flood warnings and volunteers sand bagging but in the end, no one was hurt.

You might be wondering if we are having some strange weather but historically, during years of high snow melt and “typical” spring storms, this would be normal.*

*The Laramie River use to meander through West Laramie but when Snowy Range Road was installed between the prison and West Laramie, the river was “straightened out”. So historically, the winding water would overflow at sharp corners but now there is no where for it to go but out. Thankfully, the Laramie Rivers Conservation District is working to fix that by restoring habitat and the natural flow.

Like most of the residents in town, Jason and I were curious to see just how much flooding we got so set out to take some photos.
Picnic area at Optimist Park
The "Big House" across the river, as the newspaper use to refer to the Wyoming State Prison