History
The current Folsom Dam, built in 1955, replaced an earlier, smaller dam that had been completed in 1893 by Horatio Gates Livermore. The earlier dam had fed the Folsom Powerhouse, generating electricity that was transmitted to Sacramento over a 22 mi (35 km)-long distribution line, the longest electrical distribution system in the world at the time. The remains of the earlier dam can be seen downstream from the Folsom Lake Crossing.
The current dam was originally authorized by Congress in 1944 as a 355,000 acre·ft (438,000 dam³) flood control unit, and was reauthorized in 1949 as a 1,000,000 acre·ft (1,200,000 dam³) multiple-purpose facility. Construction began in 1952 and it opened in 1955. Construction of the dam began in October 1948 and was completed in May 1956.
Some old settlements and towns were flooded when the lake was filled, including Mormon Island and Salmon Falls.
Read more about this topic: Folsom Dam
Famous quotes containing the word history:
“To a surprising extent the war-lords in shining armour, the apostles of the martial virtues, tend not to die fighting when the time comes. History is full of ignominious getaways by the great and famous.”
—George Orwell (1903–1950)
“The principle that human nature, in its psychological aspects, is nothing more than a product of history and given social relations removes all barriers to coercion and manipulation by the powerful.”
—Noam Chomsky (b. 1928)
“Racism is an ism to which everyone in the world today is exposed; for or against, we must take sides. And the history of the future will differ according to the decision which we make.”
—Ruth Benedict (1887–1948)