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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)
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.

Request at UW

Additional Reference Guides

Languages
English
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Historical Background

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.

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Content Description

Album of photographs documenting site and construction of the Masonry Dam on the Cedar River.

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Other Descriptive Information

Information about the photographs was collected from captions on photos and from Cristy Lake, Snoqualmie Valley Historical Museum.

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Use of the Collection

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.

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Administrative Information

Processing Note

Processed by Christy Lake, 2011 and Melody Hauf 2012; processing completed 2012.

Page 11-12 is broken and has come loose from the album binding.

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Detailed Description of the Collection

 

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Subject Terms

  • Visual Materials Collections (University of Washington)


2008 (Last modified: 7/29/2021)

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