Pacific Constructors, Inc. Shasta Dam Photo Album, 1942-1945

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Summary

Creators:
Pacific Constructors, Inc..
Abstract:
The photo album contains 89 photographs detailing construction progress of the Shasta Dam by Pacific Constructors, Inc.
Extent:
0.3 Linear feet 1 box containing 89 Photographs
Language:
and English
Preferred citation:

Pacific Constructors, Inc. Shasta Dam Photo Album, MSS 307, Special Collections, Meriam Library, California State University, Chico.

Background

Scope and content:

The photo album contains 89 photographs detailing construction progress of the Shasta Dam by Pacific Constructors, Inc. The photo album cover labeled “Shasta Dam” is also included in the collection.

Biographical / historical:

Early on during World War II, the Pentagon declared the Shasta Dam project to be an AA-1 defense related project, thereby receiving priority status in the acquisition of money, materials, and labor. While the urgency of generating electrical power for the war effort focused attention on Shasta Dam, the main purpose in its construction lay in the attempt to solve California’s historic water problems. Shasta Dam would become the “keystone” of the Central Valley Project.

Congress gave the United States Bureau of Reclamation authority to oversee dam construction. The Bureau quickly placed the Shasta Dam project under the New Deal funding agency of the Public Works Administration (PWA) thereby assuring an ongoing funding commitment from Congress. Additionally, the Bureau decided to bid out dam construction to private companies.

Pacific Constructors, Inc. (PCI) came into existence in 1937 when William A. Johnson, a leading southern Californian industrialist, successfully convinced other construction owners to form a joint venture and bid on the federal dam projects. Johnson brought in Steve Griffith, L. E. Dixon, Clyde Wood, Floyd Shofner, and D. W. Thurston; all experienced in completing heavy construction jobs. In preparing to bid on the Shasta job, the leadership team of Pacific Constructors decided to bring in additional construction companies. To this end, the Arundel Corporation, W.E. Callahan Construction Co., the Gunther & Shirley Company, and the Foley Brothers, Inc. all accepted the invitation to join the bid on Shasta Dam.

Once PCI had won the bid and succeeded in acquiring the Shasta Dam contract, they hired America’s top dam builder, Frank T. Crowe as the dam construction engineer. The United States Bureau of Reclamation, given authority to oversee the work of PCI, selected Ralph Lowry as Chief Engineer. Construction started in 1938, and was completed in 1944 (6 years 9 months).

Acquisition information:
Source unknown.
Processing information:

Processing of the Pacific Constructors, Inc. Shasta Dam Photo Album was generously funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, and administered by the Council on Library and Information Resources (CLIR). The [ABC repository] was awarded a Cataloging Hidden Special Collections and Archives grant from 2010-2012, "Uncovering California's Environmental Collections," in collaboration with eight additional special collections and archival repositories throughout the state and the California Digital Library (CDL). Grant objectives included processing of over 33 hidden collections related to the state's environment and environmental history. The collections document an array of important sub-topics such as irrigation, mining, forestry, agriculture, industry, land use, activism, and research. Together they form a multifaceted picture of the natural world and the way it was probed, altered, exploited and protected in California over the twentieth century. Finding aids are made available through the Online Archive of California (OAC).

Arrangement:

Photographs are arranged in chorological order by date and construction progress.

Material specific details:
No other forms of material.
Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Access and use

Restrictions:

Collection is open for research without restriction.

Terms of access:

No restrictions.

Preferred citation:

Pacific Constructors, Inc. Shasta Dam Photo Album, MSS 307, Special Collections, Meriam Library, California State University, Chico.

Location of this collection:
California State University, Chico, Special Collections Meriam Library
400 West First Street
Chico, CA 95929-0295, US
Contact:
(530) 898-6603
SpecialCollections@csuchico.edu
Website