History of Minidoka Dam - One of Reclamation's Oldest Dams

Minidoka Dam in IdahoWith the passage of the 1902 Reclamation Act by Congress, the federal government was granted the authority to construct large irrigation projects throughout the arid western United States. Soon afterwards, Secretary of the Interior Ethan Hitchcock withdrew irrigable lands in south-central Idaho from public entry that would eventually become the Minidoka Project. Construction on the Minidoka Dam began in 1904 and was completed two years later.

In addition to the irrigation capabilities, the Minidoka Project was one of the first Reclamation projects to incorporate hydroelectric power. The Minidoka Powerplant began operation in 1909 and provided electricity for irrigation and drainage pumping, with the excess power sold commercially. This electricity was a source of pride to settlers in the area. Nearby Rupert was one of the earliest towns to be electrified and its high school was the first public building in the United States to be powered completely by electricity.

When the project began, word spread quickly and the barren area that had only a few scattered ranches grew to a population of about 17,000 by 1919.

Because of the Minidoka Project, Snake River Valley has more than one million irrigated acres of land that produces crops, supports a thriving livestock industry, provides flood control and offers habitat for fish and wildlife.

While Minidoka Dam has served the area of Magic Valley well for more than 100 years, maintenance and safety concerns lead to the building of a new dam and spillways system. Beginning in 2011, workers replaced the old manually intensive stop-logs system, which was leaking heavily and showing infrastructure damage, with an automated radial gate system that is vastly safer and more efficient.

Construction was completed in spring of 2015 and was formally dedicated by Reclamation Commissioner Estevan López in a ceremony on May 27.

Educators have a new tool to help teach children how harnessing the power of water transformed the West. “The Electric Project”: The Minidoka Dam and Powerplant, is a new Teaching with Historic Places online lesson plan developed by the National Park Service and the Bureau of Reclamation. The curriculum provides information about how the Bureau of Reclamation harnessed the raw power of rivers to provide water and electricity to thousands of Western homesteads and towns in the early 1900s. Learn more on the Teaching with Historic Places site.

Published on September 29, 2015