It was forty years ago today, July 31, 1976, that Northern Colorado’s most devastating flood took place. In this guest post, Dean R. Schachterle looks past the flood to the important recovery work that followed.
Big Thompson Flood – July 31, 1976:
A Glimpse of Aftermath Victim Identifications
Dr. Michael Charney, Forensic Anthropologist
(Compiled by Dean R. Schachterle – July 2016)
Dr. Michael Charney in 1986
(Don Eddy granted Dean Schachterle permission to use this photo on July 27, 2016)
The Big Thompson Flood, during the night of July 31, 1976, was enormously devastating with a final count of 144 casualties. The earliest newspaper accounts were sparse with details as new information slowly unfolded. In the following days, months and years, many stories have been written about the flood covering nearly every aspect. This posting features the dark side task of processing the flood victims with a special focus and follow-up regarding forensic anthropologist Dr. Michael Charney.
Of course the first priority of Larimer County officials after the 1976 Big Thompson Flood was to rescue all of the remaining survivors in the Big Thompson Canyon. Next, officials were determined to identify and process the victims of the flood with utmost respect and as rapidly as possible. Initially, flood victims were taken to the Kibbey Funeral Home in Loveland, Colorado. Larimer County Coroner Dr. Robert L. Schmidt was assigned the task of forming and leading a team of medical professionals to identify and process victims of the flood. About noon on Sunday, August 1, 1976, Dr. Schmidt made contact with Dr. Michael Charney to request his assistance. More than 25 bodies had been recovered at that time. Dr. Charney was a forensic anthropologist, assistant professor at Colorado State University, and had served as a deputy coroner to Dr. Schmidt since early 1975. Schmidt also contacted Dr. Patrick Allen, a young Loveland pathologist to request his assistance. Drs. Schmidt, Allen and Charney, along with many volunteer medical assistants, were successful in identifying all of the flood victims that were recovered.
Fort Collins Coloradoan – Sunday, August 1, 1976
August 2, 1976 – Fort Collins Coloradoan
The disposition of the main leaders in identifying the victims of the 1976 Big Thompson Flood:
- Dr. Robert L. Schmidt served as the Larimer County Coroner from 1952 to 1978;
- Dr. Patrick Allen served as the Larimer County Coroner from 1978 through 2014;
- Dr. Michael Charney served as an assistant professor in the Colorado State University anthropology and sociology department from 1971 to 1977, served as a deputy coroner with Larimer County, and formed the Forensic Science Lab (Human Identification Lab) at CSU in 1979.
August 8, 1976 story about how Fort Collins Coloradoan covered the disaster story.
The obituary for Dr. Michael Charney was published in the Coloradoan on May 10, 1998, with highlights listed below:
Dr. Michael Charney, 86, of Fort Collins died Saturday, May 2, 1998, at the Veterans Administration Hospital in Denver, from complications due to asthma. A memorial service will be held in June.
Michael Charney was born August 6, 1911, in Brooklyn. He earned a bachelor’s degree in anthropology from the University of Texas – Austin in 1934. He was a World War II U.S. Army veteran who served with the last horse cavalry unit in Texas. He was also a U.S. Army Reserves veteran. He earned a doctorate in anthropology from the University of Colorado in 1969.
Dr. Charney ran a medical laboratory in New Jersey before completing his doctorate. He later taught anthropology at Idaho State University and then at Colorado State University from 1971 until retiring in 1977. He continued to teach in the anthropology and zoology departments as professor emeritus, including teaching human identification techniques.
He was an expert at identifying remains. He had worked for the Texas Rangers and headed the team that identified the 139 victims of the Big Thompson Flood in 1976. He began identifying remains from Southeast Asia in 1985 and found that the U.S. Army Quartermaster Corps Laboratory in Hawaii often made identification errors.
Dr. Charney was survived by his wife, two sons, three daughters, one grandson, and one sister.
The Old Potting Shed
Dr. Charney’s old work place also provides and interesting story.
This building is the historic “Old Potting Shed” near the northeast corner of the campus of
Colorado State University, where Dr. Michael Charney’s Forensic Science Lab was located in 1979.
In the spring of 1874, members of Grange No. 7 held a picnic and planting event at the corner of South College Avenue and West Laurel Street. The Grange group planted twenty acres of wheat and built a 16 feet by 24 feet red brick building (called the “Claim Shanty”) as evidence to obtain a land grant college in Fort Collins. The state historical society has reported that the “Claim Shanty” was deconstructed in 1890 and the bricks were used to construct the “Old Potting Shed” in 1891. It’s somewhat interesting that the “Old Potting Shed” measures 19 feet 11 inches by 24 feet 9 inches. The published CSU Directory of Faculty/Staff/Students for 1991-92 listed Dr. Michael Charney’s Forensic Science Lab location at the Old Claims Shanty (see digital image below).
Dr. Michael Charney inside his Forensic Science Lab (Old Potting Shed). Published in the
CSU Alumnus, September 1981 issue. (Coloradoan Photo by Bob Gunter).
The Potting Shed and Horticulture Hall, circa 1915. (CSU archives UHPC_1091)
The “Old Potting Shed” with partial backside of Routt Hall and empty lot where Horticulture Hall
once stood along West Laurel Street (near South College Avenue). When Dr. Charney had his Forensic Science Lab here, his early 1960s white Porsche convertible, with rusting side panels, would often be parked where the white SUV is in the photo and you would know that the doctor was in.
I highly recommend reading the oral interview transcript of Dr. Michael Charney, available through the Colorado State University library website.
Furthermore, Dr. David McComb’s research regarding the Big Thompson Flood is vast and is also available through the CSU library website. Dr. McComb conducted an interview with Dr. Michael Charney on September 5, 1976 regarding Charney’s primary role and participation in the identification of Big Thomson flood victims. Dr. David McComb is a former CSU history professor and is currently an emeritus faculty member.
Footnote: Dean Schachterle, manager of CSU central receiving, met Dr. Charney in 1980 and often provided assistance with packing materials to ship bones Dr. Charney had analyzed. Dr. Charney was always interested in sharing stories about anthropology and human identification with anyone who was interested. Dean always enjoyed seeing Dr. Charney drive up to the loading dock at central receiving in his early 1960s Porsche convertible with the top always down. The scene was reminiscent of Peter Falk and his role in the popular “Columbo” TV series, except Dr. Charney was real.
About the author:
Dean Schachterle is almost a native of Fort Collins. He was born on his dad’s dairy farm, next to the Poudre River, one mile south of Windsor (in the farm house at west end of Eastman Park). Dean’s family moved to Fort Collins in the summer of 1952. He attended Washington School from kindergarten through fifth grade and Dunn School in sixth grade, Lincoln Junior High School, Fort Collins High School, and was a member of the first class (1965) to graduate from Poudre High School.
Dean received his B.A. in history at Colorado State University in 1969 and received an ROTC commission as a 2nd Lieutenant in the U.S. Army. Dean was a counterintelligence officer, with one year in Vietnam, and was on active duty for slightly over two years. Dean returned to Fort Collins in 1972 and worked for Colorado State University for 26 years. He served as the manager of central receiving for his last 18 years at CSU. He is now retired and enjoys historical research, CSU athletics, and family genealogy.
Nice article and historical photos Meg- I am Doc’s daughter from his first marriage- I remember the Big T flood well- there were two gallows humor bits that you might enjoy- when he was on TV talking about it- the announcer said “parts of the next segment you many find revolting” then Dad’s face came on – and the interview asked him “Dr. Charney.. do the all the dead bodies disturb you” Dad replied, ” Hell no, its the lives ones that bother me”. Thank you for the memory. Dad did a lot of work for a lot of causes and people and never asked for a dime from anyone for it. Nice to see him honored this way. Danielle Charney
All the credit goes to Dean who wrote the article for me. He did a great job!
I love that story of your dad!!! So funny.
He was a character all right … fun -loyal warm and generous with all he had ..
Back in the 90’s my teaching partner and I got a facial reconstruction kit from Dr. Charney. Many components of it were stolen a couple of years later. I only have some mimeographed information and one plaster skull. I am once again trying to search for information on the molds and other documentation for his facial reconstruction kits.
Any information would be appreciated. If anyone has info…
gorgonc3AThotmaildotcom
I’m coming into this subject a bit late. I was recently thinking about Dr. Charney and decided to perform an internet search on his whereabouts, or in this case, his fate. I was a student of his back in 1991 at CSU. I remember a white haired professor with a posh accent driving an old Porsche with the doors bungied shut. He taught me some of the finer techniques of forensic reconstruction and later I worked for him in his lab. I remember I used his techniques to construct a cranial model of Gigantopithecus based loosely on fossilized mandibular remains and a previous grad student’s thesis. The irony is that several years after I left Dr. Charney’s lab, National Geographic aired a segment on what they supposed Gigantopithecus might look like, and it looked almost exactly like what we had created years earlier. Yes, the good Doctor was spot on in his work. Great memories. To this day I have a cranial replica of Lucy made from his lab in my bookshelf..
Thanks for sharing your memories, Don! Now I have to go look up what a Gigantopithecus is. 🙂
Hi Danielle! I just wanted to say what a great man your father was. He came to my high school career fair in 1992 and blew my mind with Forensic Anthropology. From that moment on I Knew what I wanted to do. I remember taking my final for my bone identification class in the Old Potty Shed. He gave me a box of bones and said, “Tell me who this is”. It was awesome. I will remember your father always.
Hi Rachel – jut seeing this – so glad he was able to inspire you – that is what he lived for besides Shrimp and two fingers of good single malt.- And of course taking the corrupt bastards down ..lol I miss him a lot .. people contact me on FB occasionally talking about how he helped them solve a crime their city had dropped- they are all without much money – and you know Dad- that never stopped him from helping someone ..I am immensely proud of him and wish to hell I could talk to him right now – so I do …lol- thanks for your memory… I loved that old shed he worked in – a favorite place… he was very proud of you no doubt…
I was s student of Dr Charney 1972-1978 and in a round about way we were all as a group that worked in the shed involved in the BT aftermath. Dr Charney treated me as a son and I’ve always remember him as a kind and influencial person in my life, I’m thankful for the life lessons often given at his home’s breakfast table. RIP Michael
Doctor Charney is/was near and dear to my heart. He was the father I never had and a mentor in some ways. I got the opportunity to spend time with him as a younger child. My mother was a student at CSU and single parent. We often went to school with my mom and sometimes classes where the teacher allowed it. What Charney did was give my sister and I a place to learn when my mom had a class and he wasn’t in one teaching. I will always remember the inside of his room. The smell of plaster and the classical music always playing in the back. The stories he told us off of his walls. Including the big Thompson flood and the efforts it took to identify everyone during that time. He would stick a bone through his nose and look like a witch doctor just for laughs. The times we got to make casts of skulls or casts of dinosaur fossils. These are still some of my fondest memories. I even one time got to take my 6th grade class to his office and teach them how to identify human remains from gender and race. I currently have a picture of him in my living room. It is the poster that CSU made of him in his office of skulls with skeletons holding books. It was signed by him to my mother and something I will never let go of. He was truly an amazing man. I am so thankful for the times I got to spend with him and the memories I have. Thanks for letting me share.
Delectable(the nickname he called me by) AKA Denay Peake
I was very found of doctor charney
And worked with him at the lab for about three years
I was there in 1983 when we filmed the show for Ripleys believe it or not
I had a teacher from centennial adult high school
Introduce me to him as I spent one year helping him to earn high school credits
I want to thank all of you for your memories and tribute to my Dad… It means a lot to me to read them .and know he was loved and appreciated… He lived to inspire people and see their lives expand. I have many stories and happy to share or answer any questions anyone might have.
I love to keep his memory and work alive. When I was young he would bring a skeleton to my school and everyone went nuts. We worked on old wooden sailboats all the time and test drove exotic cars and pretended we were spies in the war. We ate ice cream before dinner. I miss him a lot. I am on FB if you want to send a message- in Santa Monica. the best to you all and again – thank you ..
When I was in sixth grade my mom was going to CSU and was in Dr. Charney’s class. I had the science fair coming up and didn’t know what to do. Dr. Charney taught me how to re-create a face on a skull with clay. He was really cool for giving up his time to help a kid. He showed me all the skulls in his lab, and how they died. It was pretty cool. I won the blue ribbon in the science fair! I still have the picture of the face, I wish I would of saved the skull. It was awesome. RIP Dr. Charney, thanks for helping me.
What a great story! Thanks for sharing.
What a find. I don’t know how I googled my way here. Thanks for this account of this BTF and the personal stories in the comments. I can’t believe it was nearly 46 years ago. I remember that flood night vividly as a soon to be Senior at Fort Collins High School. I got stuck at someone’s apartment by Stover and Stuart streets because I didn’t want to drive my convertible in the heavy rain. I missed getting home for dinner with my folks with no way to call them. I had friends that were camping near the canyon entrance and left due to the downpour. A life saving choice. A sad time in NoCo for sure. My first big disaster. We’ve had so many since but that had to be the worst for deaths. I had forgotten that Dr. Schmidt was the county coroner and didn’t know he did that for so long. I have fond memories of him and his wife Helen as my family doctor / nurse from pre-natal to birth until my early 20’s. His office in the America Bldg. in downtown was certainly old school. We didn’t say old-town back then. I would not be here today without his and Helen’s loving care. I remember reading about Dr. Charney and Dr. Allen. From the stories I think all 3 Doctors were awesome men and scientists and we are lucky they followed rather macabre fields of study. It takes a special type of person and dedication to do that important work. Cheers!