Map of proposed dams and their reservoirs. (Wallace Stegner Exhibit, 2015)
Dam Proposals
After the construction of Boulder Dam, the Bureau focused its attention on potential dam sites in the upper Colorado basin, specifically along the Green River. The most desirable location was Echo Park in Dinosaur NM. In 1939, surveyors were sent out to the potential dam site at Echo Park. The Park Service became suspicious of the Bureau’s surveys and kept a watchful eye on the progress. The Bureau continued its surveys in Dinosaur NM for the next few years and as early as 1934, tightened its grasp on two locations of interest: Echo Park and Split Mountain. The Park Service was now aware that the Bureau had the upper hand. The government was going to favor water over preservation.