DRAKE - Sunday marked the 35th anniversary of one of Colorado's most tragic incidents, The Big Thompson Flood. More than 140 people were washed away in a matter of hours and five bodies were never found.
About a hundred people gathered at a memorial site in Drake Sunday evening to remember those who were killed.
"My mother and my great aunt both perished in the flood. And my mother is still buried in the canyon. She is one of the five they never recovered," said Gordon Kindred.
Kindred was in his 40s at the time. He remembers getting a phone call from a friend asking if his parents were okay.
"I didn't know what he was talking about at that point, until later on," Kindred said.
The loss of life was horrible. Fortunately, many survived.
"My parents got out of their car and climbed up a mountain with another couple. Ten minutes later their car was washed away," said Karen Robinson.
Sunday's gathering was a time for families to reconnect and to console each other.
During the service, six scholarships were handed out to students whose families were affected by the flood.
The Big Thompson flood was the deadliest flood in Colorado state history.
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