The Poudre and the Big Thompson are stunningly beautiful rivers in Northern Colorado that can put the rivers of Montana to shame. Do you know where their names come from?

It's a shame that I am not more of an outdoorsman, living here in the breathtaking outdoors of the Fort Collins area. I'll have to find a way to change that.

Having grown up in Loveland, I'm pretty aware of the Big Thompson River that travels from Rocky Mountain National Park down through its namesaked canyon out into Weld County to meet up with the South Platte River.

Big Thompson River, which flooded in 1976 and again in 2013, along with the Little Thompson River are both named for fur trader and explorer, David Thompson, who helped forge trails for fur trading companies in the early 1800s. It's also held that he may have been the first white man to set foot in what is now Estes Park.

The local school district gets its name from the river; and you can stop by Big Thompson Brewing in Loveland, who are big fans of the river and its fishing spots.

The Cache La Poudre River got its name from an incident in the 1820s when French trappers had to bury some of their gunpowder during a snowstorm in the area. 'Hide the powder,' is how it translates.

The Poudre has seen it's fair share of flooding, as the Big Thompson. Camp Collins, the military post which was located along the Poudre, was wiped out by an 1864 flood. It was then that they moved the post (with no actual fort) and named it Fort Collins.

Fort Collins used to have a popular RV dealer whose name was Powder River RV. It's odd, to me, that there haven't been more businesses taking on the moniker.

Where are your favorite spots along the Big Thompson and The Poudre?

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