United States. Bureau of Reclamation

On March 18, 1911, Theodore Roosevelt spoke at the dedication of Roosevelt Dam. Providing irrigation for the Salt River Valley area of the territory of Arizona, the dam is largely the result of Roosevelt’s reclamation efforts while President. On driveway along the top of the dam, Roosevelt, officials, and crowd look intently over the side of the dam. Roosevelt has probably just pushed the electric switch opening the sluice gates on the dam’s northern slope. Long shot of Roosevelt addressing crowd, with the following officials identified behind him on the platform: Richard E. Sloan, territorial Governor of Arizona; Louis C. Hill, engineer in charge of dam construction; and Benjamin A. Fowler, president of the National Irrigation Congress.

Collection

Library of Congress Motion Picture, Broadcasting and Recorded Sound

Creation Date

1911-03-18

Creator(s)

Unknown

The Bureau of Reclamation will not be able to appraise the land involved in the land exchange program at Theodore Roosevelt National Park. The Bureau of Land Management or a private third party may be able to appraise the land, but at the park’s expense.

Collection

Theodore Roosevelt National Park

Creation Date

1949-03-31

Creator(s)

Merriam, Lawrence C.

President Roosevelt addresses the crowd at the dedication of the Roosevelt Dam in Arizona and tells them about how the dam came to be. He knows the value of irrigation to the west, and through hard work, he was able to convince the east of the necessity of irrigation. Roosevelt congratulates all of the people involved with the construction of the dam and reflects on the honor of having the dam named after him. He considers the two material achievements he is most proud of in his administration to be the construction of the Panama Canal and the irrigation work in the western United States. Roosevelt also further reflects on what it means to be a citizen and the duty of Americans.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1911-03-18

Creator(s)

Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919

Theodore Roosevelt is surprised Gilson Gardner did not notify him when he was in New York City. Roosevelt is interested in Gardner’s opinion on the Reclamation Service and expresses his disappointment in Secretary of the Interior Franklin K. Lane, who he thought was an admirable man.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1915-07-07

Creator(s)

Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919

President Roosevelt sends his greetings and congratulations to Ralph Emerson Twitchell and the Irrigation Congress, which will be meeting in September. Roosevelt attributes the changing public perception of the importance of irrigation to the work of the Congress. The conservation and proper use of water and irrigation is of prime importance to the American people, and Roosevelt calls Twitchell’s attention to the accomplishments of the Reclamation Service in irrigating a large area of land, and the landowners settling here have already begun to repay the investment the government has made.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-06-29

Creator(s)

Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919

President Roosevelt appoints Morris Bien to a special committee to study the contracts used in the various departments and bureaus of the government in order to “remedy any defects” found. The recommendations of the committee will be approved by the legal officers of each department, and ultimately by the Attorney General of the United States.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1907-06-18

Creator(s)

Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919

President Roosevelt has asked the Bureau of Reclamation to take immediate action in the “Milk River matter,” and has authorized them to go ahead with the current scheme, even though it will probably cost more money than he has previously felt warranted.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1905-04-01

Creator(s)

Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919

President Roosevelt has asked the Bureau of Reclamation to take immediate action in the “Milk River matter,” and has authorized them to go ahead with the current scheme, even though it will probably cost more money than he has previously felt warranted. He has asked for a report regarding the matters raised by the Kalispell, Montana, Chamber of Commerce.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1905-04-01

Creator(s)

Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919

President Roosevelt has asked the Bureau of Reclamation to take immediate action in the “Milk River matter,” and has authorized them to go ahead with the current scheme, even though it will probably cost more money than he has previously felt warranted.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1905-04-01

Creator(s)

Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919

President Roosevelt has asked the Bureau of Reclamation to take immediate action in the “Milk River matter,” and has authorized them to go ahead with the current scheme, even though it will probably cost more money than he has previously felt warranted.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1905-04-01

Creator(s)

Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919

President Roosevelt has asked the Bureau of Reclamation to take immediate action in the “Milk River matter,” and has authorized them to go ahead with the current scheme, even though it will probably cost more money than he has previously felt warranted.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1905-04-01

Creator(s)

Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919

John L. Truscott asks Theodore Roosevelt to arrange a meeting with President William H. Taft to discuss irrigation practices like he and Roosevelt did on a previous occasion.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1911-01-14

Creator(s)

Truscott, John L. (John Lovering), 1856-1930

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