Imperial Valley press., 1921-10-11
BOULDER DAM
WILL MAKE
GIGANTIC
LAKE
Graphic First Hand Descrip-
ton of Project to Restrain
Flood Waters of Colorado
for Irrigation and Power.

The following article written by f.
E. Hollingworth, of the Los Angeles
Herald, is decriptive Of the great lake
which will be created by the Boulder
Canyon dam and outlines it's possi-
bilities for power development and ir-
rigation. The information is first
hand, the writer having just returned
from trip over the entire territory
coveed by the project.
A lake in the form of huge. bat.
one wing extending distance gilmore
than 40 miles, the other wing nearly
l20 miles long, the body about 100 miles
in length, with the head formed by an
enormous dam in Boulder Canyon,
where the cliffs Of solid granite lift
their heads to height of 1400 feet
above sea level-this will be the ap-
pearance of the Colorado river, reser-
voir and development project center
ing at Boulder canyon when completed,
if you are privileged to approach it in
an airplane.
1t will be a wonderful sight to the
air traveller of the. future, but not
nearly so wonderful, at that, as will
be its meaning to the people who live
in Southern California and portions of
Arizona.
The dam, being planned to aid in
the growth of the entire Southwest,
will mean flood protection, irrigation
and cheap hydro electric power for this
city and the vast section before men,
toned.
Fifty-eight miles across the desert
from Las Vegas, New, is the little
town of st. Thomas. 1t is Mormon
settlement, dating back in its. incep-
ton to 1864, when a few hardy pio-
neers crossed the deserts from Utah
in OK wagons. This early settlement
was later abandoned, to be taken up
again after the Los Angeles and Salt
Lake railroad, now the Union Pacific,
was constructed.
st. Thomas is in the valley travers-
ed by the Virgin river, an insignifi-
cant stream during most OF the year,
but carrying a considerable flow of
water during the rainy season. Com
ing in from Las Vegas the traveller is
struck by sign, the antithesis Of
that we are all used to:
Scamp on the Grass-St. Thomas
Auto Park"
Not far along after meeting with
this legend, the grass, which has been
an unknown growth for more than 80
miles, greets the eye.
This little town will be under water
many feet deep when the dam is COM
pleted. for the Virgin river valley is
to be the western "batwing" of the
immense reservoir.
From St. Thomas to where the Vir-
gin empties into the Colorado, two
miles above Boulder canyon, the val
| ley is wide, with little fall in altitude
Nearing the Colorado, however, to the
northward and southwark the tower
ing cliffs converge slightly, and where
the Colorado is reached they attain
considerable height.
This western wing will be in the
state of Nevada.
The eastern part of the reservoir
will be smaller and will stretch out
into Arizona, shorter, but wider. thar
the Nevada basin. There will be less
of the spectacular in this smalle,
basin, but it will be no less valuable
as it is designed to hold reserve the
excess flood waters of the rainy sea-
son.
The long body of the bat, running
up the Colorado river for about 10(
miles, caused by the 600-foot damant
tn backing up Of the tremendous
fluid load held in check by the granite
cliffs of Boulder canyon, will be navi
gable for steamers of light draft Nov
it is practically inaccessible for Ions
stretches except to the hunter an(
trapper. Few of these, however, ven
ture into the desert region between
the dam site and the southern end o
the Grand canyon.
/ The greatest and most lasting mon
ument to the memory of the lat