1910s
AGRICULTURE
One of the
largest irrigation projects in the nation, the Highline Project was
completed in 1918. It provided the water to cultivate 50,000 acres in the
Grand Valley. The unusual roller dam is shown as it was being built across
the Colorado River in DeBeque Canyon. The level of the reservoir behind it
is controlled by raising or lowering large steel cylinders, called rollers.
There are only three roller dams in the country, and this is the largest.
(U. S. Bureau of Reclamation Photo)