Coolidge Blog

Calvin Coolidge’s First Presidential Broadcast

By Jerry L. Wallace The clock in the U.S. House Chamber pointed to half past noon.[1] Congress had assembled for a joint session. Standing at the clerk’s desk in front […]

A Supreme Court Justice’s Private Views of Coolidge

By John William Sullivan   One of President Calvin Coolidge’s harshest critics—in private, at least—was Supreme Court justice Louis Brandeis. Both men had made their names in Massachusetts: Brandeis as […]

Joseph Fountain: Witness to the Inauguration

by Paul D. Houle Joseph Fountain, the twenty-four-year-old editor of the Springfield Reporter, scooped every reporter in Vermont—indeed, in the world—with his account of the presidential inauguration of Calvin Coolidge. […]

The Mellon Plan: The Legislative Fight for the First Supply-Side Tax Reforms

By The Honorable French Hill Tax reform isn’t easy, but it is possible. Even dramatic tax reform. Today, when many doubt that proposition, it’s useful to look back at another […]

85 Years of the Coolidge Dam!

March 4, 2015

10671224_1484985465119653_4546901173202931588_nBy Rushad Thomas

The Southwestern United States is a stunningly beautiful corner of the world. With desert as far as the eye can see, cacti taller than your head, and an ancient heritage of indigenous peoples who pioneered in technology long before the first European settlers arrived, this region of our country holds tremendous treasures that I encourage you all to explore.

I had the pleasure October 3 – 5 of exploring a southwestern treasure directly related to President Calvin Coolidge, the dam on the Gila River in Arizona that is eponymously named for him. Dedicated by Coolidge on March 4, 1930, the Coolidge Dam is a massive edifice, composed of three large domes, approximately 250 feet in height, anchored by two buttresses. The Dam impounds the Gila River for 23 miles when full.

Coolidge played an integral part in the construction of the dam. On June 7, 1924 President Coolidge signed the legislation authorizing the dam, which was passed unanimously by the Senate and House of Representatives, and presented to him by the Arizona Congressional Delegation. He presided at the dedication ceremony, attended by more than 3,000 people, with First Lady Grace Coolidge at his side. Satirist Will Rogers, also in attendance, looked down from the dam at the grass in the lake bed, and quipped “If this were my dam, I’d mow it!” You can view footage of the dedication by clicking here.

In addition to exploring the wonders of the Coolidge Dam, I also had the privilege of staying in the City of Coolidge, Arizona, about an hour southeast of Phoenix, which was named for President Coolidge in 1925. Nearly 90 years later, the City of Coolidge is a wonderful, vibrant community. While there, I spoke to the town historical society about President Coolidge and the work of the Foundation, and invited them all to join us here at the Notch for our Worldwide Coolidge Reunion to be held next summer. I was also privileged to be able to ride in the Coolidge Days Parade as the representative of the Coolidge Foundation. That was quite a ride!

85 years later the Coolidge Dam still stands as a monument to the wonders of modern engineering, providing needed water to residents of Southeastern Arizona.

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One Response to “85 Years of the Coolidge Dam!”

  1. John Berray

    There are warm water springs below the dam off Government Rd. My future farther in law took me and others there around 1960. Just springs between boulders. Sorta a stand up sauna. I don’t remember the actual location but they are there. Ask someone.

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