Photos: Glen Canyon Dam dedicated in 1966 after years of construction
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Rick Wiley
Photo editor
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First Lady Ladybird Johnson officially dedicated Glen Canyon Dam on Sept. 22, 1966, more than 10 years after work was started on the diversion tunnels to reroute the mighty Colorado River during construction.
The dam is 710-feet high and holds back Lake Powell, one of the largest man-made reservoirs in the U.S. The dam topped out in 1963 and the first hydro-power from its massive turbines was transmitted to hungry customers in Phoenix in 1964.
Photos Β© Arizona Daily Star and Tucson Citizen, where applicable
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Glen Canyon Bridge and Glen Canyon Dam during the official dedication of Glen Canyon Dam near Page, Ariz. on Sept. 22, 1966.
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Interior Secretary Stewart Udall, right, with Ladybird Johnson during the official dedication of Glen Canyon Dam near Page, Ariz. on Sept. 22, 1966. The Glen Canyon Bridge is in the background.
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First Lady Ladybird Johnson with Arizona Gov. Sam Goddard during the official dedication of Glen Canyon Dam near Page, Ariz. on Sept. 22, 1966.
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The transformer complex during the official dedication of Glen Canyon Dam near Page, Ariz. on Sept. 22, 1966.
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The control room during the official dedication of Glen Canyon Dam near Page, Ariz. on Sept. 22, 1966.
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Deep underneath Glen Canyon Dam during the official dedication of Glen Canyon Dam near Page, Ariz. on Sept. 22, 1966.
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A giant steel turbine shaft spinning during the official dedication of Glen Canyon Dam near Page, Ariz. on Sept. 22, 1966.
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First Lady Ladybird Johnson, center, during the official dedication of Glen Canyon Dam near Page, Ariz. on Sept. 22, 1966.
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First Lady Ladybird Johnson during the official dedication of Glen Canyon Dam near Page, Ariz. on Sept. 22, 1966.
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Wahweap Marina on Lake Powell during the official dedication of Glen Canyon Dam near Page, Ariz. on Sept. 22, 1966.
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Boaters on the new Lake Powell during the official dedication of Glen Canyon Dam near Page, Ariz. on Sept. 22, 1966.
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The turbine hall during the official dedication of Glen Canyon Dam near Page, Ariz. on Sept. 22, 1966. The first electricity was generated on September 4, 1964, with the power sent into the regional electric grid through a pair of long-distance transmission lines as far as Phoenix, Arizona and Farmington, New Mexico.[
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The eight penstocks that provide water for generation of electricity are revealed on the back of Glen Canyon Dam during the official dedication of Glen Canyon Dam near Page, Ariz. on Sept. 22, 1966.
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A man catches some sun during the official dedication of Glen Canyon Dam near Page, Ariz. on Sept. 22, 1966.
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Boaters on Lake Powell during the official dedication of Glen Canyon Dam near Page, Ariz. on Sept. 22, 1966.
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Boaters on Lake Powell during the official dedication of Glen Canyon Dam near Page, Ariz. on Sept. 22, 1966.
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A guest photographs Arizona's newest lake during the official dedication of Glen Canyon Dam near Page, Ariz. on Sept. 22, 1966.
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Spectators watch the dignitaries from a distance during the official dedication of Glen Canyon Dam near Page, Ariz. on Sept. 22, 1966.
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A boat ride on Lake Powell during the official dedication of Glen Canyon Dam near Page, Ariz. on Sept. 22, 1966.
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Wahweap Marina on Lake Powell during the official dedication of Glen Canyon Dam near Page, Ariz. on Sept. 22, 1966.
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Photograph of a bend in Glen Canyon of the Colorado River, Grand Canyon, ca.1898. The towering nearly-vertical rocky canyon walls loom over the placid river. The canyon rim is visible in the distance. A rocky embankment forms the shore on one side of the river. Two men row small boats on the river.
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Glen Canyon damsite from the air in November 1957, prior to construction of the Glen Canyon Bridge
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Aerial view of Glen Canyon Dam during construction - 1962
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Construction of Glen Canyon Dam in 1963.
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Lake Powell filling underway, 1965
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Steelworkers sit on the steel span for Glen Canyon bridge under construction high above the Colorado River in the late 1950s.
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The bridge span emerges from the anchorage in the wall of Glen Canyon just west of the dam site under construction, late 1950s.
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Heavy equipment moving rock at Glen Canyon Dam site, late 1950s.
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Dozens of survey marks dot the wall of Glen Canyon at the site of the dam in the late 1950s.
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Bend in Glen Canyon of the Colorado River, Grand Canyon, ca.1898. Photographer: George Wharton James
Rick Wiley
Photo editor
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Drought has brought water levels in Lake Powell to historic lows, revealing some of Glen Canyonβs lost wonders
As water levels plummet, no plan yet to replace power from Glen Canyon DamFor Star subscribers: Lake Powell is less than 35 feet above the level at which Glen Canyon Dam's generators would be turned off. But there's no detailed plan on what to do if that happens. Authorities say they're working very hard to produce one as soon as possible.
The largest drought coverage seen in the U.S. since 2013, with as much as 60% of the continental U.S. facing drought conditions, was predicted in the spring outlook released this month by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
