Coolidge Dam

Coolidge Dam
The upstream face of Coolidge Dam, from the Historic American Engineering Record
Upstream face of Coolidge Dam, from Historic American Engineering Record
CountryUnited States
LocationGila County and Pinal County, Arizona
Coordinates33°10′29″N 110°31′40″W / 33.174687°N 110.527863°W / 33.174687; -110.527863
StatusOperational
Construction began1924
Opening date1930
(94 years ago)
 (1930)
Construction costUS$10 million ($145 million in 2023 dollars[1])
Owner(s)Bureau of Indian Affairs
Dam and spillways
Type of damArch dam
ImpoundsGila River
Height249 ft (76 m)
Elevation at crest2,535 ft (773 m)
Width (crest)580 ft (180 m)
Dam volume200,000 cu yd (150,000 m3)
Spillways2
Spillway typeOgee
Reservoir
CreatesSan Carlos Reservoir
Total capacity910,000 acre⋅ft (1.12×109 m3)
Power Station
Commission date1935
Decommission date1983
TypeConventional
Turbines2 × 5 MW
Installed capacity10 MW
Coolidge Dam
Coolidge Dam is located in Arizona
Coolidge Dam
Coolidge Dam is located in the United States
Coolidge Dam
Area21 acres (8.5 ha)
Built1927
Built byMajor C.R. Olberg; Atkinson, Kier Bros. & Spice Co.
ArchitectHerman Neuffer
Architectural styleMultiple Dome Dam
NRHP reference No.81000135[2]
Added to NRHPOctober 29, 1981
View of the lake, 2010

The Coolidge Dam is a reinforced concrete multiple dome and buttress dam 31 miles (50 km) southeast of Globe, Arizona on the Gila River. Built between 1924 and 1928, the Coolidge Dam was part of the San Carlos Irrigation Project. Coolidge Dam was named after the 30th US president, Calvin Coolidge and was dedicated by President Coolidge on March 4, 1930. The design and construction engineer was Herman Neuffer, who oversaw much of the construction undertaken by the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) during the 1920s in Arizona and New Mexico.

Coolidge Dam impounds San Carlos Lake on the San Carlos Apache Indian Reservation. The project irrigates 100,000 acres (40,000 ha).

Since the water is impounded so it can be released when farmers need it, San Carlos Lake is often at a low level except in wet periods. When former President Coolidge dedicated the dam in 1930, the dam had not begun to fill. Humorist Will Rogers looked at the grass in the lake bed, and said, "If this were my lake, I'd mow it."[3]

  1. ^ Johnston, Louis; Williamson, Samuel H. (2023). "What Was the U.S. GDP Then?". MeasuringWorth. Retrieved 30 November 2023. United States Gross Domestic Product deflator figures follow the MeasuringWorth series.
  2. ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. 9 July 2010.
  3. ^ "Arizona scenic drive: Globe to Safford". Arizona Republic. 2 October 2015. Archived from the original on 22 September 2020. Retrieved 19 March 2016.