 Bear Creek was especially prone to flooding , as was seen in 1896 when Morrison was almost destroyed . On occasion , sightseers along the road were threatened by floods , such as one in 1925 where cars on the road were carried into the river . To control flooding along the creek and therefore preserve safety along the road , the Denver manager of parks sought to build a dam near Evergreen . The dam , finished three years after the flood , created Evergreen Lake . Following a September 1938 flood , crews from a federal work program built walls along the side of the creek , measuring from 7 to 34 feet ( 2 @.@ 1 to 10 @.@ 4 m ) high . The Works Progress Administration ( WPA ) , as this program was called , installed over 4 @,@ 500 feet ( 1 @,@ 400 m ) of masonry from Morrison to Idledale at points where previous floods had damaged the roadway . 
