Archives West Finding Aid
Table of Contents
Hiram C. Gill Masonry Dam Construction photograph album, 1911-1914
Overview of the Collection
- Collector
- Gill, Hiram C.
- Title
- Hiram C. Gill Masonry Dam Construction photograph album
- Dates
- 1911-1914 (inclusive)19101919
- Quantity
- 89 photographic prints in an album (1 box) ; various sizes
- Collection Number
- PH0046
- Summary
- Photographs of the site and construction of the Masonry Dam on the Cedar River
- Repository
-
University of Washington Libraries, Special Collections
Special Collections
University of Washington Libraries
Box 352900
Seattle, WA
98195-2900
Telephone: 2065431929
Fax: 2065431931
speccoll@uw.edu - Access Restrictions
-
The collection is open to the public.
- Additional Reference Guides
- Languages
- English
Historical BackgroundReturn to Top
The Cedar River Masonry Dam, in the U.S. state of Washington, was built between 1911 and 1914, and the Chester Morse Lake filled between 1914 and 1918. When completed, the crest of the dam stood 1600 feet above sea level. Throughout construction, a twelve-foot opening had remained at the bottom of the dam, enabling water to pass through the opening during construction. After construction the water continued to collect in the basin behind the dam and began seeping through the north bank of the reservoir. The bank could not be sealed because of a glacial moraine, and water continued to escape. This caused the level of water in Rattlesnake Lake to rise, resulting in the 1915 flooding of the town of Moncton. Later in December 1918, a hillside blew out at Boxley Creek destroying the mill town of Edgewick on Christmas Eve 1918.
Hiram C. Gill was the Mayor of Seattle at the time of the Masonry Dam construction. He first ran on a platform of strong opposition to municipal ownership of utilities such as this project. Later in his reelection to his second and third terms he discontinued his active obstruction to the utility. James Delmage (J. D.) Ross was appointed to City Light soon after it's inception in 1911. Ross, often called the "Father of City Light", helped design and build the project and power plant at Cedar Falls on the Cedar River. This album was probably a presentation to Gill when he was reelected during 1916 third term.
Content DescriptionReturn to Top
Album of photographs documenting site and construction of the Masonry Dam on the Cedar River.
Other Descriptive InformationReturn to Top
Information about the photographs was collected from captions on photos and from Cristy Lake, Snoqualmie Valley Historical Museum.
Use of the CollectionReturn to Top
Alternative Forms Available
View selections from the collection in digital format
Restrictions on Use
Restrictions may exist on reproduction, quotation, or publication. Contact Special Collections, University of Washington Libraries for details.
Administrative InformationReturn to Top
Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top
AlbumReturn to Top
Container(s) | Description | Dates | |
---|---|---|---|
Page | item | ||
1-2 | 1-2 | Cedar Lake before construction of
dam |
circa 1911 |
3 | 3 | March 17, 1914 | |
4-5 | 4-5 | circa 1911 | |
6 | 6a | December 12, 1911 | |
6 | 6b | November 18, 1911 | |
7 | 7a | Masonry Dam construction
site |
circa 1911 |
7 | 7b | Looking toward Cedar Lake at Masonry
Dam site |
December 12, 1911 |
7 | 7c | January 26, 1912 | |
8 | 8a | January 26, 1912 | |
8 | 8b | March 26, 1912 | |
8 | 8c | March 26, 1912 | |
9 | 9a | April 16, 1912 | |
9 | 9b | circa 1912 | |
9 | 9c | April, 16, 1912 | |
9 | 9d | Progress on the Pacific spur line
connection and Cedar Falls Depot at Masonry Dam |
April 22, 1913 |
10 | 10a | October 17, 1912 | |
10 | 10b | October 17, 1912 | |
10 | 10c | October 17, 1912 | |
10 | 10d | October 17, 1912 | |
11 | 11a | Construction area beside the cofferdam
discharge pipe structure at Masonry Dam Powerhouse |
December 8, 1912 |
11 | 11b | January 9, 1913 | |
11 | 11c | Construction area beside the cofferdam
discharge pipe structure |
December 8, 1912 |
12 | 12a | Snow covered road through forest to
dam |
circa January 1913 |
12 | 12b | Horses on snow covered road at Masonry
Dam camp 2 |
January 18, 1913 |
12 | 12c | Snow covered buildings at Masonry Dam
camp 2 |
January 18, 1913 |
12 | 12d | January 18, 1913 | |
13 | 13a | Icicles on discharge pipe at the
cofferdam |
January 18, 1913 |
13 | 13b | Concrete pouring through
structure |
January 18, 1913 |
13 | 13c | View of construction from down stream
at Masonry Dam |
March 18, 1913 |
13 | 13d | April 7, 1913 | |
14 | 14a | Two part panorama of Masonry
Dam |
circa April 1913 |
14 | 14b | April 22, 1913 | |
14 | 14c | View from down stream at Masonry
Dam |
May 17, 1913 |
15 | 15a-b | May 17, 1913 | |
16 | 16a | May 17, 1913 | |
16 | 16b | May 17, 1913 | |
17 | 17a | April 22, 1913 | |
17 | 17b-d | June 13, 1913 to October 16, 2013 | |
18 | 18 | October 16, 1913 | |
19-20 | 19-20 | January 19, 1914 | |
21 | 21 | January 19, 1914 | |
22 | 22 | Construction at Masonry Dam |
January 19, 1914 |
23 | 23 | Construction at Masonry Dam |
March 17, 1914 |
24 | 24 | March 17, 1914 | |
25 | 25 | Construction at Masonry Dam |
April 18, 1914 |
26 | 26 | Two part panorama construction at
Masonry Dam |
April 18, 1914 |
27-28 | 27-28 | Construction at Masonry Dam |
April 18, 1914 |
29 | 29 | April 18, 1914 | |
30 | 30 | Two part panorama of construction at
Masonry Dam |
May 17, 1914 |
31 | 31 | June 3, 1914 | |
32 | 32 | June 3, 1914 | |
33 | 33 | Construction at Masonry Dam |
June 3, 1914 |
34 | 34 | circa June 1914 | |
35 | 35 | June 6, 1914 | |
36 | 36 | Two part panorama of construction at
Masonry Dam |
July 8, 1914 |
37 | 37 | Ground level view of construction and
workers at Masonry Dam |
July 8, 1914 |
38 | 38 | August 8, 1914 | |
39-40 | 39-40 | Construction at Masonry Dam |
July 8, 1914 |
41-42 | 41-42 | August 7, 1914 | |
43 | 43 | August 7, 1914 | |
44 | 44 | August 7, 1914 | |
45 | 45 | September 23, 1914 | |
46 | 46 | September 23, 1914 | |
47 | 47 | Sloping face and pipeline of Masonry
Dam |
October 18, 1914 |
48 | 48 | Two part panorama of construction at
Masonry Dam |
October 18, 1914 |
49 | 49 | October 18, 1914 | |
50 | 50 | October 18, 1914 | |
51 | 51 | October 18, 1914 | |
52 | 52 | October 18, 1914 | |
53 | 53 | Sloping face and construction at
Masonry Dam |
November 6, 1914 |
54 | 54 | November 6, 1914 | |
55 | 55 | November 6, 1914 | |
56 | 56 | Two part panorama of Masonry Dam and
water flowing through pipe |
November 6, 1914 |
57-58 | 57-58 | Masonry Dam with water filling in
Chester Morse Lake |
November 6-25, 1914 |
59 | 59 | November 25, 1914 | |
60 | 60 | Completed Cedar River bridge at
Masonry Dam |
November 25, 1914 |
Names and SubjectsReturn to Top
Subject Terms
- Visual Materials Collections (University of Washington)