The Roosevelt Dam
Subject(s): Arizona--Salt River Valley, Arizona--Salt River Valley (Gila County and Maricopa County), Arizona--Theodore Roosevelt Dam, Dams--Design and construction, Dedication services, Fowler, Benjamin A., Hill, Louis C. (Louis Clarence), 1865-1938, Hydroelectric power plants, Indians of North America--Employment, Irrigation, Irrigation farming--U.S. states, Newell, Frederick Haynes, 1862-1932, Orme, John P., 1851-1934, Pinchot, Gifford, 1865-1946, Public lands--U.S. states, Reclamation of land, Reservoirs, Roosevelt Memorial Association, Roosevelt, Edith Kermit Carow, 1861-1948, Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919, Sloan, Richard E., 1857-, Speeches, addresses, etc., American, United States. Bureau of Reclamation
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This film depicts Theodore Roosevelt’s commitment to the reclamation of desert land and his belief that natural resources exist for the public benefit. Included are close-up views of Frederick Haynes Newell, first director of the U.S. Reclamation Service and Gifford Pinchot, first chief forester and leader of the conservation movement in the U.S.; both influenced Roosevelt’s thinking and action on conservation. Roosevelt fought successfully for the passage of the Reclamation Act of 1902, which authorized the creation of the reclamation service. In 1906 work on the Roosevelt Dam on the Salt River in Arizona began and was completed in 1911. Film consists of views of desert area, including many varieties of cactus; construction of the dam; the completed dam, hydroelectric plant, reservoir, and irrigation system. Scenes of fields and orchards, sheep and cattle grazing, men clearing, plowing, and harvesting fields with various types of farm equipment, and scenes of crops of wheat, alfalfa, and melons, all represent the benefits brought to the Salt River Valley area by the availability of water.
At the formal dedication of the dam on March 18, 1911, Roosevelt presses an electric switch opening sluice gates, and speaks and shakes hands with workers. Behind him on the platform are, left to right: a woman who may be Edith Kermit Carow Roosevelt; a bald man who is probably Louis C. Hill, supervising engineer of the project; an unidentified man; Benjamin A. Fowler, president of the National Irrigation Congress; another unidentified man; Richard E. Sloan, territorial Governor of Arizona; and a man who is probably John P. Orme, president of the Salt River Valley Water Users’ Association.
Collection
Library of Congress Motion Picture, Broadcasting and Recorded Sound
Creation Date
1928
Creator(s)
Roosevelt Memorial Association Film Library
Period
Theodore Roosevelt and Public Memory (1919-present)
Repository
Library of Congress Motion Picture, Broadcasting and Recorded Sound Division Washington, D.C. 20540 USA dcu
Record Type
Video
Resource Type
Rights
These items are presented through a cooperative effort between the Library of Congress and Dickinson State University. See the Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library Terms of Use for further copyright information.
Citation
Cite this Record
Chicago:
The Roosevelt Dam. [1928]. Library of Congress Motion Picture, Broadcasting and Recorded Sound.
https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o292850. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
MLA:
Roosevelt Memorial Association Film Library. The Roosevelt Dam. [1928]. Video.
Library of Congress Motion Picture, Broadcasting and Recorded Sound. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University. February 19, 2026. https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o292850.
APA:
Roosevelt Memorial Association Film Library., [1928]. The Roosevelt Dam.
Library of Congress Motion Picture, Broadcasting and Recorded Sound. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
Retrieved from https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o292850.
Cite this Collection
Chicago:
Library of Congress Motion Picture, Broadcasting and Recorded Sound. https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/collection/library-of-congress-motion-picture-broadcasting-and-recorded-sound. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
MLA:
Library of Congress Motion Picture, Broadcasting and Recorded Sound. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University. February 19, 2026. https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/collection/library-of-congress-motion-picture-broadcasting-and-recorded-sound.
APA:
Library of Congress Motion Picture, Broadcasting and Recorded Sound. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University. Retrieved from https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/collection/library-of-congress-motion-picture-broadcasting-and-recorded-sound.
