Dillon Reservoir Swallowed a Colorado Town — One Man Stayed Until the Water Reached His Ankles

Under Dillon Reservoir, in the heart of Colorado's Summit County between Breckenridge and Keystone, lies the old town of Dillon. It had already moved three times for the railroads. The fourth move came in the early 1960s, when Denver needed the water in its valley. Residents hauled homes, the town church and the café up the hill. More than 300 graves were moved to a new cemetery. What couldn't be moved was demolished or burned. And at least one man stayed until the water was at his ankles. In this video: how Dillon was founded and why it kept moving, how Denver Water acquired the valley, the last days of the old town, the buildings you can still visit today without knowing where they came from, and what the 2026 drought means for the reservoir that replaced it. CHAPTERS 00:00 Intro 13:44 Buildings on the Move 14:29 A New Town Is Planned ABOUT THE IMAGES Some scenes are illustrations or reconstructions of things that were never photographed or filmed, such as the old town on the bottom of the reservoir. They are based on historical records, not real footage. SOURCES Denver Water: Dillon Reservoir history and 2026 water level updates Summit Historical Society Summit Daily: "How residents moved the entire town of Dillon up a hill before filling the reservoir" 9News: "The original location of this Colorado mountain town is now 250 feet underwater" Denver Gazette coverage of the Dillon relocation The Colorado Sun: "Ruins of lost towns under Colorado reservoirs" (August 2026) If someone in your family grew up in Colorado or has skied in Summit County, send them this video. MORE FROM BELOW THE WATERLINE The Colorado town Blue Mesa is giving back: [LINK DO VÍDEO 5] The B-29 bomber at the bottom of Lake Mead: [LINK DO VÍDEO 6] The Lake Mead town that came back:    • Lake Mead Is So Low a Town Drowned in 1938...   Crater Lake's hidden volcano:    • Crater Lake Is 1,943 Feet Deep — When Sona...   New documentaries every week about what America's lakes are hiding. #dillonreservoir #colorado #history