Category Archives: water resources

The “Messiah” of the Desert?: Floyd E. Dominy and Water Conservation in the West

Concern over the future of water in the West is growing. Record breaking droughts and rapidly growing cities where water is already scarce has strained the current water infrastructure to its limits. The current path appears unsustainable, so in the … Continue reading

Posted in conservation, environmental history, Hydroelectric power, Uncategorized, water resources, Wyoming history | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

The Buffalo Bill Dam – Discover the Story of Wyoming’s Tallest Dam

The Buffalo Bill Dam was designed by engineer Daniel Webster Cole and built between 1905 and 1910. It was one of the first projects undertaken by the U.S. Reclamation Service (later known as the Bureau of Reclamation). The dam sits … Continue reading

Posted in Agricultural history, Construction, Heart Mountain Relocation Center, Immigration, Irrigation, Shoshone Dam, Uncategorized, water resources, Wyoming history | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Reclaiming the Colorado: The Differing Visions of the Bureau of Reclamation and the Chemehuevi

In 1931, the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California praised plans to build the Parker Aqueduct, which would redirect water from the Colorado River to the rapidly growing Los Angeles metropole. To the engineers and planners of the Metropolitan Water … Continue reading

Posted in Hydroelectric power, Indigenous Peoples, Natural resources, U.S. Bureau of Reclamation history, Uncategorized, water resources, Western history | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

A History of Powell, Wyoming

In honor of the incorporation of Powell Wyoming on May 10, 1910, here is a brief history and glance at the city. The history of Powell, Wyoming is long and storied. The Powell area was first discovered by white men … Continue reading

Posted in Agricultural history, Heart Mountain, Interns' projects, Local history, Uncategorized, water resources, Wyoming history | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Edward Ackerman: Sustainability Pioneer

Edward Augustus Ackerman (1911-1973), was a geographer and water resources authority. He earned a Ph.D. from Harvard University in 1939 and was a professor at Harvard from 1940 to 1948. Ackerman served as a technical advisor on natural resources to … Continue reading

Posted in city and regional planning history, environmental history, newly processed collections, water resources | 3 Comments

It’s About Dam Time!

Have you ever passed a dam and paused to think of how it came to be? In the early and mid 20th century, the U.S. Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Reclamation industriously set to altering much of the hydrological … Continue reading

Posted in environmental history, grants, newly processed collections, water resources | Leave a comment