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Politics
of Building the Dam
| Once the need for a dam had been decided, during the Presidency
of Calvin Coolidge, it became necessary to plan for its construction.
Several questions immediately arose. What would be the location
of the dam? Who would build the dam? How would the financing of
the dam be accomplished? And which states would get the water and
the electricity? Once these questions were answered it still had to be determined if the states would agree to participate and if Congress would agree to the massive public works project, in the middle of the depression, necessary to build the dam. The task fell to the Department of the Interior and the engineers of the Bureau of Reclamation. This section lists the steps necessary for the completion of the dam. The first step was creation of the Colorado River Commission and the appointment of Herbert Hoover as the chairman and driving force. The second step was settling the state's quarrels and concerns about the distribution of the water and electricity. The third step was how six of the states finally arrived at the Colorado River Compact and the subsequent ratification of the Compact by all seven states. And ends with President Hoover’s Proclamation to start construction. Although not in this section, construction was completed under the Roosevelt administration and irrigation, flood control, electrical power supply became a reality. |
Table of Contents
| Before You Build the Dam | ||
| Controversy over Naming the Dam |
National
Archives and Records Administration