Conquering the Arizona Desert: The Theodore Roosevelt Dam

摘要

In Arizona's desert climate, temperatures fluctuate between a searing 120°F (49℃) at the height of summer and 20°F (7℃) on cold winter nights. Rivers also fluctuate between a trickle and a rapidly rising torrent. Ever since people began to inhabit areas in this harsh climate, they have attempted to harness the unpredictable and sometimes dangerous power of the rivers for their own survival and betterment. At the beginning of the 20th century, this effort culminated in the construction of the Theodore Roosevelt Dam in the valley of the Salt River, one of the first dams to be constructed as part of the nation's federal reclamation program.