Historic American Engineering Record: Roosevelt Power Canal and Diversion Dam, Gila County, Arizona

Historic American Engineering Record (HAER) No. AZ-4 presents a written historical summary and relevant historical documentation about the construction and use of the Roosevelt Power Canal and Diversion Dam in the vicinity of Theodore Roosevelt Lake in south-central Arizona. The report contains a narrative description, photographs, drawings, and maps. It draws on information from the Archaeological Survey and Evaluation of Structural Components of the Roosevelt Power Canal (see https://core.tdar.org/document/393119).

The Roosevelt Power Canal was built as an integral part of the Salt River Project and represents the U.S. Reclamation Service's first involvement in the construction of hydroelectric power facilities. The Canal played a critical role in providing electric power used during the construction of Roosevelt Dam. Roosevelt Dam was the first major federally sponsored reclamation project in the Southwest. Operated intermittently for more than 40 years, the Power Canal was permanently removed from service in 1952. With the completion of the new Roosevelt Dam, the canal is inundated during periods of high water.