When was arrowrock dam built

The destruction of mountain life to make way for the road that winds its way up the canyon was equally challenging. At many spots the workers blasted their way through the sheer mountain face to get to the dam building site.

It was for a railroad. The track ran all the way up to the dam site where crews unloaded supplies needed in construction.

When construction started early in , over 1, workers flocked to the camp that provided food, shelter, a hotel, and even a YMCA for them and their families. Work proved to be fairly dangerous, as 12 people died and many more suffered serious injuries. On the face of the dam you are able to see a row of ten rust covered holes. On days when the reservoir is high, the holes are continuously spewing massive amounts of water. These mystery holes are known as ensign valves.

From to , the valves controlled the flow of water out the dam. Originally in two rows of twenty, the back ten were removed. The front ten, if removed, would compromise the structure of the dam. These are still in use. As of , irrigation in the Boise Valley still relied on flood flow.

There were no storage reservoirs to hold back springtime flows for use later in the summer. With average precipitation of only What was required to fix the problems was resolution of water rights issues, and construction of large-capacity reservoirs.

The act committed the Federal Government to build permanent irrigation works--dams, reservoirs, and canals-—in sixteen arid and semiarid Western states, including Idaho. Land-owners in the Boise and Payette valleys organized into a water users association, and then petitioned Congress for approval of a Federal irrigation project in those valleys.

Reclamation purchased the New York Canal and its water rights, and signed water service agreements with other private irrigation companies that in effect incorporated all irrigation companies and their canals on the south side of the Boise River, into the Boise Project.

The project also produces large quantities of grain, alfalfa hay, pasture, sugar beets, corn, potatoes, onions, apples, and alfalfa seed. The hay and forage crops support a large number of dairy and beef cattle. Arrowrock Dam is just one component of the project, which has expanded since its original authorization on March 27, , to comprise five storage dams, two diversion dams, three powerplants, miles of canals, seven pumping plants, 1, miles of laterals, and miles of drains.

Arrowrock, a foot-high concrete arch dam, was constructed to store water, which then was diverted into an enlarged and extended New York Canal. After intensive surveys, a site for Arrowrock Dam was selected 22 miles upstream from Boise.

Because the only access to the site was an old wagon road unable to handle the construction traffic and heavy loads, Reclamation wanted to build a mile railroad spur from Boise. However, because the Intermountain Railway Company owned a right-of-way near the dam site, Reclamation struck a deal for an easement. Reclamation formed a common carrier to construct the tracks and run the train, while Intermountain leased the track rights. With the dam authorized on January 6, , work began on the Arrowrock construction camp, which, at its peak, was home to 1, people, including families.

More than thirty buildings went up, including cottages and bunkhouses, a hospital, mess hall, hotel, store, post office, and amusement hall operated by the Y. A school, staffed by two teachers, enrolled ninety students. Before construction on the dam could begin, the river was diverted around the site through a foot-long tunnel.

I breathed in fresh air after climbing the stairs inside the dam and returning outside. Anselme increased the flow of water jetting out the dam for us to enjoy, the mighty Boise River obstructed by a huge wall of concrete and made to flow by the turn of a dial. No one present when the ribbon was cut for Arrowrock Dam in could have foreseen how profoundly the dam would affect the Boise River. State and federal officials are considering raising Arrowrock Dam up to 74 feet, inundating more of the free-flowing Boise River and further impairing downstream flows for questionable benefit.

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