National Register of Historic Places

Grand Valley Diversion Dam

Palisade, Mesa County, Colorado
Listed
October 7, 1991
Type
District
Period
Listed
Ref No.
91001485

About this property

The Grand Valley Diversion Dam is a diversion dam in the De Beque Canyon of the Colorado River, about 15 miles (24 km) northeast of Grand Junction, Colorado in the United States. It is a 14-foot (4.3 m) high, 546-foot (166 m) long concrete roller dam with six gates, which were the first and largest of their kind to be installed in the United States. The dam was built between 1913 and 1916 as part of the Grand Valley Project of the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (USBR) and diverts water into the Government Highline Canal for the full irrigation of 33,368 acres (13,504 ha) and supplemental irrigation to 8,600 acres (3,500 ha) in western Colorado's Grand Valley. A small hydroelectric plant with a capacity of 3,000 kilowatts (KW) was completed in 1933 on the Orchard Mesa Power Canal, a branch of the Government Highline Canal. In 1949, the dam and canal system were transferred to the Grand Valley Water Users Association, while the power plant was consigned to the Orchard Mesa Irrigation District. Grand Valley Diversion Dam was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on October 8, 1991.

Location

Palisade, Mesa County, Colorado
39.18886, -108.28210

Categories

INVENTIONSOCIAL HISTORYENGINEERINGAGRICULTURE
National Register nomination ›
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Nearby Historic Sites

Convicts' Bread Oven
Listed
4.9 mi
Crissey, Herbert and Edith, House
Industrial
6.5 mi
De Beque House
Industrial
10.4 mi
IOOF Hall
Industrial
10.6 mi
Clifton Community Center and Church
Industrial
11.2 mi

Questions about this property

When was Grand Valley Diversion Dam listed on the National Register?

Grand Valley Diversion Dam was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on October 7, 1991.

What type of historic resource is Grand Valley Diversion Dam?

Grand Valley Diversion Dam is classified as a district in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Grand Valley Diversion Dam?

The period of significance for Grand Valley Diversion Dam is recorded as the listed era.

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