Salt River Project from the air

Flying out of Sky Harbor International Airport this past weekend provided me a window view of the entirety of the Salt River Project east of Phoenix.

The Salt River Project is a series of reservoirs built along the Salt River in the Superstition Mountains east of Phoenix. The Salt River Project dates back to the early 20th Century when the 1902 National Reclamation Act was passed. The Salt River Project was one of five reclamation projects awarded in 1903. The purpose of the Salt River Project was to stem the irregular droughts and floods of the Salt River, provide water for agricultural use and hydroelectricity.

The first dam to be built along the Salt River was Roosevelt Dam which began construction in 1904 and was completed in 1911. The Roosevelt Dam portion of the Salt River Project is what spurred highway development along what is now Arizona State Route 88 on the Apache Trail. More regarding AZ 88 and Roosevelt Dam can be found at these previous blog posts.

Bridge Monday; Roosevelt Lake Bridge and Roosevelt Bridge

Throwback Thursday; Arizona State Route 88 the Apache Trail

The second reservoir in the Salt River Project was Canyon Lake located west of Apache Lake near Tortilla Flat. Canyon Lake is impounded by Mormon Flat Dam which was built between 1923 to 1925. Mormon Flat Dam is arch concrete dam that is 224 feet high.

The third reservoir in the Salt River Project was Apache Lake immediately west of Roosevelt Dam. Apache Lake is impounded by Horse Mesa Dam which is a 300 foot high arch concrete structure built between 1924 and 1927.

The fourth and final reservoir in the Salt River Project is Saguaro Lake which lies west of Apache Lake. Saguaro Lake is impounded by Stewart Mountain Dam which was built between 1928 to 1930. Stewart Mountain Dam is only 207 feet high but is the widest dam in the Salt River Project at 1,260 feet.

Flying over the Salt River Project eastbound Saguaro Lake is the first seen. Below Stewart Mountain Dam can be seen on the left of the photo.

East of Saguaro Lake is Canyon Lake. In the photo below Canyon Lake Marina Can be seen along with the 1925 one-lane Mormon Flat Bridge on AZ 88.

Canyon Lake flows through the canyon lands of the Superstition Mountains eastwards towards Apache Lake.

Followed by Apache Lake itself.

East of Apache Lake the waters of Roosevelt Lake were partially obscured by clouds.

Towards the eastern end of Roosevelt Lake the Salt River is apparent along with AZ 288/Young Highway.

Comments

Paper Highways: The Unbuilt New Orleans Bypass (Proposed I-410)

There are many examples around the United States of proposed freeway corridors in urban areas that never saw the light of day for one reason or another. They all fall somewhere in between the little-known and the infamous and from the mundane to the spectacular. One of the more obscure and interesting examples of such a project is the short-lived idea to construct a southern beltway for the New Orleans metropolitan area in the 1960s and 70s. Greater New Orleans and its surrounding area grew rapidly in the years after World War II, as suburban sprawl encroached on the historically rural downriver parishes around the city. In response to the development of the region’s Westbank and the emergence of communities in St. Charles and St. John the Baptist Parishes as viable suburban communities during this period, regional planners began to consider concepts for new infrastructure projects to serve this growing population. The idea for a circular freeway around the southern perimeter of t

Huey P. Long Bridge (New Orleans, LA)

Located on the lower Mississippi River a few miles west of New Orleans, the Huey P. Long Bridge is an enormous steel truss bridge that carries both road and rail traffic on an old-time structure that is a fascinating example of a bridge that has evolved in recent years to meet the traffic and safety demands of modern times. While officially located in suburban Jefferson Parish near the unincorporated community of Bridge City, this bridge’s location is most often associated with New Orleans, given that it’s the largest and most recognizable incorporated population center in the nearby vicinity. For this reason, this blog article considers the bridge’s location to be in New Orleans, even though this isn’t 100% geographically correct. Completed in 1935 as the first bridge across the Mississippi River in Louisiana and the first to be built in the New Orleans area, this bridge is one of two bridges on the Mississippi named for Huey P. Long, a Louisiana politician who served as the 40th Gove

Legacy of US Route 466 Part 5: Old Highway 58 through North Barstow

Old Highway 58 is a relinquished portion of what was once US Route 466 in the North Barstow area. US Route 466 served the North Barstow area from 1933 until it was truncated to Baker during June 1964. The segment would become the easternmost portion of California State Route 58 which remained as an active highway until 1996 when freeway south of downtown Barstow opened. Old Highway 58 has numerous remaining Caltrans signs and more or less functions as an alternative northern bypass of downtown Barstow. US Route 466 can be seen branching from US Route 91 in North Barstow on the 1953 United States Geological Survey Map. Part 1-Part 4 of the US Route 466 Legacy Series can be found below: Legacy of US Route 466 Part 1: California State Route 46 Legacy of US Route 466 Part 2: Tehachapi to Bakersfield Legacy of US Route 466 Part 3: Morro Bay to Shandon via Rocky Canyon Legacy of US Route 466 Part 4: Hoover Dam Part 1; the history of US Route 466 and California State Route 58 in North B

Gribblenation

Search This Blog