History and culture - Front Range
The 1933 Castlewood Dam break still shapes Cherry Creek
An old irrigation dam in Douglas County failed in 1933 and sent a flood down Cherry Creek toward Denver, a story that later shaped flood control on the creek.
Published June 10, 2026 - Last verified June 11, 2026
If you hike at Castlewood Canyon and find concrete ruins along Cherry Creek, you are looking at a piece of Douglas County history that reached all the way to Denver.
Castlewood Dam was built in the late 1800s to store water for irrigation in the area. It had a troubled reputation, and in 1933 it failed. The break sent a wall of water down Cherry Creek, flooding the path toward Denver and giving people downstream only the warning that phone operators and neighbors could pass along through the night.
The event stuck in local memory, and it is part of the larger story of why flood control on Cherry Creek developed the way it did over the following years. Today the dam’s ruins sit inside Castlewood Canyon State Park, where you can walk up and read about what happened.
History like this is a good reminder that the creeks crossing the Front Range are not just scenery. They carry water, and sometimes a lot of it, fast. Understanding that past is part of understanding the land.
For the documented history of the dam and the 1933 failure, see History Colorado, and visit the ruins through Colorado Parks and Wildlife’s Castlewood Canyon State Park.