IDAHO
Ada County
BOISE DIVERSION DAM, POWER PLANT, AND DEER FLAT EMBANKMENT DAMS
Southeast of Boise on Boise River
National Register 3/15/1976
The Boise Diversion Dam, Power Plant, and Deer Flat Embankment Dams are all features of the Bureau of Reclamation's Boise Project, which provides irrigation water to about 300,000 acres of productive agricultural lands in the western United States. Completed in 1908, the Boise Diversion Dam serves as the diversion point for the New York Canal, one of the major canals of the project. Associated with the rubble concrete and masonry weir-type dam is a power plant, added in 1912. It is one of the oldest Federal power plants in the western United States, and much of the equipment is original. Three earthfill embankments, known as the Deer Flat Dams, create Lake Lowell near Nampa, Idaho. Located at the end of the New York Canal, Lake Lowell contributes to the storage for the Boise Project.
Boise Diversion Dam and Power Plant
South bank of Snake River in vicinity of American Falls Reservoir
National Historic Landmark 1/20/1961
This historic archaeological site consists of low earth mounds marking wall locations of former Fort Hall. Built in 1834, the fort was an important fur trading post in the Rocky Mountains and later on became one of the most famous stations along the California-Oregon Trail. By the time of its abandonment in the mid-1850s, Fort Hall had received Kit Carson, Peter Ogden, John Fremont, Jim Bridger, and many other well-known persons of the West. This property is on lands owned by the Bureau of Reclamation and the Shoshone-Bannock Tribe.
Boise County
ARROWROCK DAM
About 10 miles east of Boise on U.S. Forest Service Roads
National Register 11/09/1972
Arrowrock Dam is a key feature of the Bureau of Reclamation's Boise Project. In 1902, the newly created Bureau of Reclamation took over the construction of a struggling private irrigation endeavor designed to increase agricultural water supplies in the Boise Valley . Arrowrock Dam was constructed between 1911 and 1915. The concrete arch dam was recorded as being the highest in the world when completed.
Minidoka County
MINIDOKA DAM AND POWER PLANT
On the Snake River south of Minidoka
National Register 10/29/1974
Minidoka Dam and Power plant are key features of the Minidoka project. Authorized in 1904, the project was the first Bureau of Reclamation endeavor in Idaho. Construction of Minidoka Dam began in 1904 and was completed in 1906. Lake Walcott, the reservoir created behind the dam, stores water for irrigating arid lands along the Snake River in eastern Idaho. The Minidoka Power Plant, built between 1908 and 1913, was the first Federal hydroelectric power plant in the Pacific Northwest. It provided power needed for pumping water to fields on the south side of the Snake River. The Minidoka Project was instrumental in transforming the landscape of the area from desert into prosperous farm land.
Power County
ONEIDA MILLING AND ELEVATOR COMPANY GRAIN ELEVATOR
Offshore in American
Falls Reservoir, American Falls vicinity
National Register 7/16/1993
The Oneida Milling and Elevator Company grain elevator is located in the American Falls Reservoir, which covers the original townsite of American Falls. Built in 1912, the 106 foot high concrete grain elevator remains as the only visible marker of the townsite. In 1925, the community and most of its structures were moved when the reservoir was filled behind American Falls Dam. The Bureau of Reclamation built the dam and reservoir, features of the Minidoka Project, to provide irrigation water to lands in south-central Idaho. The grain elevator is historically significant because of its association with grain production in the area. The use of reinforced concrete, which was a new technology at the time, lends further significance to the feature.
Power County
AMERICAN FALLS ARCHAEOLOGICAL DISTRICT
Downriver
of American Falls
National Register 7/1/1999
The American Falls Archaeological District is located in a canyon along the Snake River downstream from the town of American Falls. The sites in this district represent the span of human occupation in southern Idaho from 12,000 to 14,000 years before present up to the Euro-American era. There are over 150 contributing sites that range from small prehistoric lithic scatters to larger features such as historic structures, representing homesteading or mining-related activities.
Power County
AMERICAN FALLS RESERVOIR FLOODED TOWNSITE
Submerged
in American Falls Reservoir, north of present-day American Falls
National Register 1/28/2002
The submerged remains of the original town of American Falls, Idaho, are located in the reservoir behind American Falls Dam. This town was an established community when the increasing need for agricultural water supplies prompted the Bureau of Reclamation to move portions of the town to higher ground in the mid-1920s in order to flood the lower elevations for water storage. Some of the original features that remain under water have been damaged due to erosion. However, features such as sidewalks, roads and building foundations can be observed during periods of low water. The construction of American Falls dam played an integral role in Idaho's agricultural history.
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