Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1911-03-24
ROOSEVELT dam IS
FORMALLY OPENED
GREATEST RECLAMATION PRO-
JECT IN THE WORLD suc-
CESSFULLY COMPLETED.
AFRICAN EXPLORER HONORED GUEST
Cheering Crowds Congratulate Former
President to Whom Is Due Honor
OF Starting Projeot-Makes
Principal Speech.

Roosevelt, Ariz.-Amid the cheers
OF thousands assembled on March 1S
to witness the formal opening OF
the largest dam in the world. the
Roosevelt structure across the canyon
of the Salt river, Miss Ethel Roose-
velt, under the direction of her father,
touched the button that sent the i'm
prisoned waters of the Arizona river
rippling through the vast system OF
canals that will transform this SUM-
baked construction town and 100000
acres of shifting desert sand into
veritable Garden of Eden. The ar
rival of the Roosevelt party, who
motored rs miles across the desert to
attend the ceremonies, was signal
for wild hilarity among those as
sembled to witness the event. After
the first enthusiastic greeting had
died away the party was escorted to a
platform erected near the famous dam.
These ceremonies mark the success
fur termination of one of the greatest
reclamation Pre- 'ects the world has
ever seen. The mean the reclama-
ton of miles of burning desert, the
termination of years of toll under the
blazing Arizona sun. and the addition
to Arizona's farming lands of terri
tory whose productive wealth will
equal that of the most favored farm
ing districts of the world. For count
less ages the principal stream of Ari-
Zona. the Salt river. swollen to tor
rental proportions in the spring by
the melting SHOWS of the distant
mountains and diminishing to tiny
creek under the blazing sun of sum-
mer. has wound its tortuous course
through hundreds of miles Of sun
scared desert land that needed but the
application Of water to blossom into
luxuriant vegetable life. The waste
of this rich territory was called to the
attention of Colonel Roosevelt when
he occupied the presidential chair,
and he, in turn, ordered the govern
ment's reclamation department to in
vestigate. Engineers were sent to ex-
plore the valley of the Salt river.
Maps were made of it's winding course
and samples of it's soil were forwarded
to Washington, with lengthy reports.
Here the reports were passed upon by
the reclamation department, the soil
was analyzed and the matter referred
to the president, whose warm interest
had given the scheme life.
This, however, was but the begin
ing; the physical construction yet re-
mained. The town of Phoenix, Ariz.,
was chosen as n base of supplies and
from that place the heavy machinery,
tools, lumber and the thousand and
one odds and ends that go to make
up a construction camp were hauled
rs miles through the burning desert
to a point where the canyon of the
Salt river was but 1,100 feet across.
Here the first rude huts of the now
flourishing town of Roosevelt sprang
into being and actual work upon what
was destined to be one of the largest
dams in the world, commenced. All
this was some three years ago, and
since that time the work has been
steadily carried on till today the struc-
ture as it stands complete is a mas
sive wall of stone whose feet rest on
the solid rock far below the shifting
river bed and rise sheer 2S0 feet
to the parapet that borders the broad
roadway along its top. imprisoning a
lake, 80 miles in length, whose waters
would cover q million and a quarter
acres foot in depth. But aside from
the mere physical construction of the
dam are other interesting features.
The ingenious method of government
employed to finance the scheme, so
that every cent of the sum expended
could be used again to promote still
more reclamation projects; and the
soil condition that makes the arid des-
'ert land SO fertile when water is ap-
Piled. In this warm climate and with
Ill IL. ~1v-
day is phenomenal. Crops follow crops
in constant succession and when the
soil is we'll subdued, high-grade fruit
handling the land which without water
cannot grow anything of value, is
able to return an enormous revenue
amounting to hundreds of dollars per
acre, or even, when set in fruit, sew
eral Thousand.
All of this is produced without di-
rect cost to the people of the United
States. The government builds the
great dam and canal system. 1t does
not call upon the taxpayers, but util.
ICES for this purpose a fund derived
from the disposal of public land. This
fund is not given away. 1t Is invested
in these works. and then the people
who are benefited must pay back the
cost of the investment at so much per
acre in ten annual installments. The
money coming back is used over
again, every dollar being reinvested
IN additional works as fast as pay
ments are made for those completed
This, in brief, is the story of the great
Arizona reclamation project as out
lined by the many speakers who fol
lowed Colonel Roosevelt at the dedi
cation exercises.