This photo was taken in about 1956 or 1957. My dad is supervising Lizzie Wolverton (in the dress) and my sister Marg as they try their hand at fishing in the Big Thompson River in front of what is now my home.

The fishing poles are made of sticks off the trees, and I am surprised that Lizzie is so dressed up. The Wolvertons must have been out on a Sunday drive and dropped by our cabin. I think it's cute that there is a dad helping his son fish across the river - the perfect 1950s picture of family togetherness.

Back then this was just a weekend/summer cabin for us. It didn't have running water or a bathroom: there was an outhouse, and drinking water came by way of a cistern pump - the kind you crank - next to a small side stream. We slept out on the porch on an antique daybed with a featherbed on it, listening to the river.

My dad wore gray workpants like that his entire life. My mother used Rit dye to keep them dark gray. We had a wringer washer for many years when I was growing up, so we had to carefully sort the laundry and do the darks very last because the gray dye would get into the wash water.

The river was vastly changed by the 1976 flood, destroyed and rebuilt to what it is today. In this photo, the fishing rock was about where that spruce tree is on the right, and the dad and son were about where the yellow aspens are on the left. I miss having those big rocks that dotted the edge of the water.

Comments:

My guess is the rive was "channeled" to make more room for the highway. That speeds up the water flow, taking away the rocks.

Beautiful spot then and now Ms. T. Do you ever go into this water to swim?

Awesome pics and lovely memories

I like the portrait of family togetherness from the 50's. It's like a Hallmark card. I agree about the river rocks, too bad they're gone.

I love the big rocks, what a shame that they had to go.