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72-722: Crystal Reservoir is part of the Wayne N. Aspinall Unit of the Colorado River Storage Project , a Bureau of Reclamation project that retains the waters of the Colorado River and its tributaries, such as the Gunnison, for agricultural and municipal use. Crystal Reservoir was created by the impoundment of the Gunnison River approximately 6 miles west of Morrow Point Dam by Crystal Dam , a 323-ft. concrete double-arch dam built by

144-581: A crowded transportation hub to a quiet backwater. Since August 1921, Lees Ferry has been the site of a stream gage operated by the U.S. Geological Survey and has since accumulated one of the most extensive streamflow records ever made in the United States. The river flow here is the principal factor in allocating water to the seven U.S. and two Mexican states in the Colorado River basin. The Colorado River Compact of 1922 apportioned an equal portion of

216-654: A final five projects to the participants list: Four projects, the Fruitland Mesa, Savery-Pot Hook, San Miguel and West Divide Projects, were later found to be infeasible and removed from the list. Fruitland Mesa & Savery-Pot Hook Projects were cut by the United States Senate in the Public Works appropriations bill of July 1977. The four primary units of the Colorado River Storage Project have

288-479: A gateway for the expansion of settlement from Utah south into Arizona. Most of the settlers were Mormons , who had been long established in the Utah Valley near present-day Salt Lake City , and were looking for additional land. Although the river at Lee's Ferry is too deep to ford for most of the year, its relatively calm current presented an attractive site for crossing by boat. Jacob Hamblin successfully crossed

360-520: A maximum output of 1,813 megawatts of hydroelectric power at any given time, comparable to a large coal-fired generating station such as the Navajo Generating Station . The Blue Mesa and Navajo Dams, built primarily to function for flood control purposes, have saved approximately $ 10 million in flood-related costs up to the year 1999. Additionally, the various units of the project have created significant recreational opportunities throughout

432-489: A permanent ferry service for Mormon settlers heading south to Arizona. In 1857, Lee had taken part in the Mountain Meadows Massacre , in which a group of Mormons and Native Americans attacked a passing non-Mormon wagon train from Arkansas , killing about 120 people. The ill-conceived attack was the result of several factors including hysteria surrounding the 1857 " Utah War " and animosity toward Arkansans after

504-531: A prospector who discovered gold in Glen Canyon in 1883. Gold seekers came to the area as early as 1889, when two Mormon prospectors by the names of Holladay and Huntington began to explore the surrounds of Lees Ferry. The most extravagant investment was a full-scale mining operation led by Charles H. Spencer, head of the American Placer Company, who came to Lees Ferry in 1910 planning to extract gold from

576-596: A series of flat benchlands. In pre-Columbian times, the Lees Ferry area was inhabited first by Paleo-Indians , who populated the region beginning about 11,500 years ago, followed by the Archaic culture , which appeared on the Colorado Plateau about 8,000 years ago. The Anasazi , Paiute and Navajo peoples, who left more evidence of habitation in the valley, arrived only in the last 1,000 years or so. Evidence, including

648-933: A study was undertaken that determined a series of dams and reservoirs on the river and its tributaries would be necessary. A joint effort between the Upper Colorado River Commission, the Bureau of Reclamation and other federal agencies delivered a report with proposed projects to the United States Congress in 1950. Among the proposed projects was a dam to be constructed on the Green River in Echo Park , in Dinosaur National Monument in Colorado. The proposal for Echo Park Dam created controversy and sparked

720-454: A valuable livestock watering point. The first Europeans who happened upon Lees Ferry were members of the 18th-century Domínguez–Escalante expedition , an attempt to find an overland route through the Southwest between Spanish settlements in present-day New Mexico and California , and in the process, to convert as many Southwestern Native Americans as possible to Christianity. In late 1776,

792-569: Is a site on the Colorado River in Coconino County, Arizona in the United States , about 7.5 miles (12.1 km) southwest of Page and 9 miles (14 km) south of the Utah –Arizona state line. Due to its unique geography – the only place in hundreds of miles from which one can easily access the Colorado River from both sides – it historically served as an important river crossing and starting in

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864-611: Is also mentioned as one of the stops in the film Stagecoach (1939) . Scenes from the movie Into the Wild (based on the book by Jon Krakauer ) were shot on location in 2006 at the Lees Ferry National Park Service Station, which featured actors Emile Hirsch as Christopher McCandless and Steven Wiig as the Lees Ferry Ranger, Steve Koehler. In the second season of "Here's Lucy" episode four 'Lucy runs

936-496: Is located immediately west of Point Morrow Dam, and can be accessed from a one-mile road running north of U.S. 50 at Cimarron. Hand-launched watercraft can be launched into Crystal from Mesa Creek. A single boat-in campsite is located approximately 4 miles west of Mesa Creek at the mouth of Crystal Creek. Mesa Creek is also the trailhead for the Mesa Creek Trail, a fairly to moderately strenuous 1.5 mile round trip that crosses

1008-571: Is part of the Curecanti National Recreation Area , a National Park Service administered area responsible for developing and managing recreation facilities on the three reservoirs of the Aspinall Unit. Recreational opportunities at Crystal include boating (hand-carried craft only), camping, and hiking. There are two small developed areas near the reservoir, Mesa Creek Trailhead and Crystal Creek Trailhead. Mesa Creek Trailhead

1080-455: The Bureau of Reclamation . The last of three reservoirs impounded for the Aspinall Unit, construction on Crystal Dam began in 1973, 5 years after the completion of Morrow Point Dam and 7 years after the completion of Blue Mesa Dam. The westernmost of the three reservoirs, Crystal is the last impoundment before the river enters the deep and dangerous Black Canyon of the Gunnison . Crystal Reservoir

1152-613: The Chinle Formation . Spencer brought in tons of equipment including a 92-foot (28 m) steamboat, the Charles H. Spencer , reputedly the largest vessel ever to float the Colorado River upstream of the Grand Canyon. The operation was a dismal failure, and Spencer left, broke, in 1912. The steamboat sank in 1921 and now lies in pieces along the Colorado from Glen Canyon to below Lees Ferry. The ferry continued to run until 1928. In 1929

1224-520: The Gunnison River in Colorado. It is the only unit in the project to be made up of more than one dam or reservoir. The Aspinall Unit was originally named the Curecanti Unit, but was renamed for former congressman Wayne N. Aspinall in 1980. Aspinall had been a strong proponent of water reclamation projects in Colorado and the western US in general, and was seen as a key opponent to David Brower in

1296-475: The LDS Church bought the ferry and transferred its operation to Warren Marshall Johnson and his family. In 1896 the ferry was transferred to Jim Emett, who installed a cable across the Colorado River to reduce the risk of boats washing downstream during high water. During this time, Lees Ferry and the surrounding area attracted people because of a series of gold strikes in southern Utah, beginning with Cass Hite,

1368-518: The Morrow Point Reservoir , putting it in the center of the Aspinall Unit. Completed in 1968, Morrow Point is the largest and most productive of the Aspinall dams. Morrow Point has a generating capacity of 173,334 kilowatts, making it the second most productive dam in the entire Colorado River Storage Project system. It provides about 60% of the Aspinall Unit's generating capacity. Additionally,

1440-526: The Paria River joins the Colorado from the north. Lying in an open valley directly downstream from Glen Canyon and shortly above Marble Canyon (the uppermost section of the Grand Canyon ), it is the only place in more than 260 miles (420 km) where the Colorado is not hemmed in by sheer canyon walls. This made it an important crossing point before the construction of Navajo and Glen Canyon Bridges in

1512-493: The San Juan River near Farmington, New Mexico . The dam was completed in 1963, and was actually the first of the units in the project to be completed. Unlike the subsequent dams, Navajo Dam did not have any power generating capacity when built. A small plant with a capacity of 32 MW was installed in 1983 in conjunction with the city of Farmington to generate local power. The Aspinall Unit consists of 3 dams and reservoirs on

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1584-451: The Triassic about 208–245 million years ago. This area contains sandstone , siltstone , shale and limestone formed by the sediments on ancient seabeds and later alluvial deposits made by the Colorado and Paria Rivers. Because these are more easily eroded than the rock layers that lie above and below them, the Colorado Plateau gradually slopes down to river level at Lees Ferry through

1656-439: The 2000s but have thus far failed to restore the natural environment in the canyon. The project has changed the topography of the river with the heavy loads of silt trapped behind the dams deposited in the upper reaches of the reservoirs. These silt loads have filled up the inundated canyons and are now coming to the surface as the water levels in the reservoirs drop. The creation of large reservoirs and irrigation systems along

1728-408: The 20th century. Here, the Colorado River is also much smoother and calmer than the stretches that lie above and below. In the past, another crossing was the former Glen Canyon reach, but it is now flooded under Lake Powell , formed by Glen Canyon Dam 16 miles (26 km) upstream. Lees Ferry is designated within the southwesternmost extreme of Glen Canyon National Recreation Area and is considered

1800-607: The CRSP but are not considered a part of the project itself. Eleven projects were included as participating projects in the 1956 legislation. These projects include: Wyoming's Eden Project was authorized independently in 1949. It was tied to the Colorado River Storage Project by the terms of its own authorization. An amendment to the legislation in 1962 added two projects to the participants list: A 1964 amendment added three more projects: The Colorado River Basin Project Act in 1968 added

1872-813: The Colorado River Delta anymore due to usage and evaporative loss within the Project. This has reduced the size of the estuary at the mouth of the river from 3,000 square miles to fewer than 250 square miles. Invasive species have become dominant in the Delta and the loss of this habitat has had wider implications for marine life in the Gulf of California. Lee%27s Ferry 36°52′03″N 111°35′43″W  /  36.86750°N 111.59528°W  / 36.86750; -111.59528 Lees Ferry (also known as Lee's Ferry , Lee Ferry , Little Colorado Station and Saints Ferry )

1944-587: The Colorado River and is used as a fishing area and river rafting launch site. The main access is by Lees Ferry Road, which splits off from U.S. Route 89A at the hamlet of Marble Canyon, Arizona , on the west side of the Navajo Bridges. The Lonely Dell Ranch Historic District , listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978 and expanded to include Lees Ferry in 1997, features several buildings built during and after John D. Lee's brief tenure at

2016-538: The Colorado River basin. The Colorado River Storage Project is made up of four separate units, spread along the upper Colorado basin and its major tributaries. Also included are several participating projects located throughout the system. As a whole, the system provides a storage capacity of approximately 34,000,000 acre-feet (42 km ) of water. This capacity is released to meet the Colorado River Compact's delivery requirements during periods of low flow in

2088-458: The Fathers, Charles Spencer's old mining operation, and other historic landmarks of the area. Flood control at Glen Canyon also smoothed out the seasonal flux of the Colorado River that so beleaguered the ferry operations at Lees Ferry in the past. Lees Ferry has long been a focal point of American Southwest water disputes, and has been called "both the physical and spiritual heart of water history in

2160-535: The Grand Canyon, and on to the Colorado River Delta created sandbars and beaches along the river's course and throughout its canyons. These floods have been replaced with metered releases of cold, sediment-free water which has led to the erosion of sandbars in the Grand Canyon that are crucial for wildlife and has altered the food web within the river with natural species being displaced by invasive species. Attempts to simulate natural flood cycles were started in

2232-643: The Gunnison River upstream of the Morrow Point Dam forming the Blue Mesa Reservoir , making it the first dam the river passes through. The dam was completed in 1966 and has an electric generating capacity of 86,400 kilowatts, or about 30% of the Aspinall Unit's generating capacity. The Morrow Point Dam impounds the Gunnison River downstream from the Blue Mesa Dam but upstream of the Crystal Dam, forming

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2304-402: The Morrow Point Dam is the first thin-arch concrete dam to be built in the Colorado River Storage Project system. The Crystal Dam impounds the Gunnison River about 6 miles (10 km) downstream from the Morrow Point Dam, making it the final dam in the Aspinall Unit. Completed in 1976, it is the last dam in both the Aspinall Unit and the Colorado River Storage Project to be completed, marking

2376-441: The arid West". From the 1940s onward, Colorado River flows were found to average significantly less than what was allocated under the two treaties, and 21st century studies have postulated that the actual sustainable flow past Lees Ferry is between 13.5 and 14.7 million acre feet (16.7–18.1 km ), creating water supply issues for the river basin. Lees Ferry is considered the official beginning of Grand Canyon National Park on

2448-427: The dam in the beginning, later recanted his opinion and admitted that he had regretted supporting the project. Recent calls for the draining of Lake Powell and the restoration of Glen Canyon by environmental groups such as Sierra Club have resulted in the founding of several advocacy groups for the cause such as Living Rivers and Friends of Glen Canyon, as well as opposition groups such as Friends of Lake Powell. Given

2520-586: The discovery of two ruins nearby on the Paria River, suggests that the Anasazi utilized the area sometime in the 12th century A.D. Nonetheless, indigenous peoples generally did not make extensive use of the Lees Ferry area and other canyon stretches of the Colorado River, preferring the open plains above for hunting. However, Lees Ferry did later become a disputed territory between the Navajos and Paiutes, who recognized it as

2592-406: The established dividing point, was extremely erratic, ranging from 4,000,000 acre-feet (4.9 km ) to 22,000,000 acre-feet (27 km ). This led to an inability of the upper basin states to meet the minimum delivery requirements to the lower states in dry years, and a loss of significant surpluses in wet years. In order to regulate the flow of the Colorado and ensure compliance with the compact,

2664-457: The fight to enact the Colorado River Storage Project. Brower was known to have fought regularly with Aspinall, going so far as to state that he had seen "dream after dream dashed on the stony continents of Wayne Aspinall". As a whole, the Aspinall Unit has a generating capacity of about 290 megawatts, or about 17% of the entire Colorado River Storage Project, making it the second most productive unit after Glen Canyon. The Blue Mesa Dam impounds

2736-526: The final completion of the system as a whole. Crystal Dam forms the Crystal Reservoir and has the smallest capacity of the hydroelectric dams in the system, providing some 31,500 kilowatts capacity, or just over 1% of the Aspinall Unit's capacity. A number of water management projects in various locations of the upper Colorado River basin are considered participating projects in the Colorado River Storage Project. These projects are financially related to

2808-450: The first Navajo Bridge was completed at a location 4 miles (6.4 km) downstream and allowed for far more efficient road travel between Utah and Arizona. Somewhat ironically, the ferry was instrumental in transporting materials for the bridge until June 1928, when the ferryboat capsized, drowning three men and dumping a Ford Model T . The ferry was never replaced, and the bridge was completed seven months later, relegating Lees Ferry from

2880-605: The highest arch bridge in the world. It currently serves as one of only two bridges to cross the Colorado River between Lake Mead and Lake Powell, carrying the majority of the traffic between northern Arizona and southern Utah. The Flaming Gorge Unit consists of the Flaming Gorge Dam and the Flaming Gorge Reservoir , and the dam's powerplant. The dam impounds the Green River near Dutch John, Utah . Portions of

2952-465: The importance of the unit to the project as well as its impact as a tourist destination to the region, restoration efforts face significant opposition and there currently exist no plans to cease operations at Glen Canyon. Not directly a part of the project but built as a direct result of it, the Glen Canyon Dam Bridge was constructed over the river in 1959. At the time of its completion it was

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3024-533: The ire of Sierra Club director David Brower , who embarked on a national campaign to rescue the park. As part of a compromise, the proposed dam was stricken from the project and replaced with another dam in Glen Canyon , Arizona . Brower, who had not personally visited Glen Canyon prior to the compromise, later lamented the deal, describing it as "the worst mistake of his career" and "'the biggest sin I ever committed'". A revised, and slightly pared down, version of

3096-597: The longest such formation in the U.S. outside of Utah. Fishing is an especially important part of the local recreational use of Lees Ferry drawing thousands of anglers a year seeking large trout. In given year there are possible world record fish available in the Glen Canyon Dam area. Irvin Willat and a cast and crew of 200 people used Lees Ferry during the filming of The Heritage of the Desert , released in 1924. Lee's Ferry

3168-408: The mid-19th century was the site of a ferry operated by John Doyle Lee , for whom it is named. Boat service at Lees Ferry continued for over 55 years before being superseded by a bridge in the early 20th century, which allowed for much more efficient automobile travel. Lees Ferry served as a military outpost for 19th-century settlements in Utah , a center of limited gold seeking and since the 1920s

3240-576: The murder of Mormon apostle Parley P. Pratt near Van Buren, Arkansas . Years after the massacre, Lee moved to the remote Colorado River crossing to take refuge from the law. Lee arrived in September with two of his wives and his children, and created a small settlement named Lonely Dell. The ferry was formally established in January 1873, with the launching of the Colorado , the first of many boats that would ply

3312-417: The nearby Paria Riffle may be made without special permit (other than a day use boating fee) and users may travel 16 miles (26 km) upstream on calm waters to the foot of Glen Canyon Dam . This reach of the Colorado River is also well known for its status as a Blue Ribbon fishery , thanks to releases of cold, clear water from Glen Canyon Dam that make conditions ideal for introduced rainbow trout . While

3384-559: The northernmost end of Grand Canyon National Park . It lies 689 miles (1,109 km) upstream of the Colorado's mouth at the Gulf of California , at the approximate halfway mark of the river's length. The surrounding valley formed because of a swell in the underlying rock of the Colorado Plateau that caused the regional elevation to intersect the Chinle and Moenkopi Formations, deposited in

3456-467: The otherwise arid southwest regions. The project has changed the ecosystem in the Colorado River, including in Grand Canyon National Park . Glen Canyon Dam in particular has been the subject of much environmental criticism. Water trapped behind the dams cools and drops its sediment load in the reservoirs. Natural floods of warm sediment-rich water flowing down the Colorado River, through

3528-470: The overall generating capacity of the project. In spite of its importance to the system, the Glen Canyon Unit has also been the source of controversy even before it began operating in 1964. Sierra Club director David Brower, who was partially responsible for the location of the dam as part of a compromise, later regretted the decision. Former Arizona Senator Barry Goldwater , who was a proponent of

3600-471: The party ran out of supplies in what is now southern Utah and having decided to turn back towards Santa Fe , had to find a way to cross the Colorado River. Their Native American guides told them of two regional fords of the river, one at the site of Lees Ferry and the other at Glen Canyon. When the explorers arrived at Lees Ferry in October, they found the river too wide and deep and had no choice but to head for

3672-641: The plan was passed into law by Congress in 1956. The legislation called for the construction of dams , reservoirs and related works at Curecanti in Colorado, Flaming Gorge in Wyoming, Navajo in New Mexico and Glen Canyon in Arizona. All but the Navajo project were to include power generation capabilities; the Navajo project was intended as flood control only. Also included in the legislation were several related projects in

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3744-478: The principal point at which river flow is measured to determine water allocations in the 246,000-square-mile (640,000 km ) Colorado River basin. Lees Ferry demarcates the boundary between the Upper and Lower Basins of the Colorado River; the states which make up each basin are legally allocated one-half of the river's natural flow. Glen Canyon Dam impounds the Colorado a short distance upstream and completely regulates

3816-499: The project began when the Colorado River Compact was signed in 1922 by the participating states, as well as the lower Colorado River states, California and Nevada . As a stipulation of that compact, the upper basin states were required to ensure an annual flow of no less than 7,500,000 acre-feet (9.3 km ) be delivered to the lower basin states. However, the annual flow of the Colorado River at Lee's Ferry in Arizona,

3888-409: The project has grown to include the participation of several related water management projects throughout the river's basin. The project's original scope, and primary focus, are the upper Colorado River itself, the Green River , the San Juan River , and the Gunnison River . Participating states are Arizona , Utah , New Mexico , Colorado and Wyoming . Attempts at managing the water supply in

3960-429: The reservoir on a footbridge and travels west along the north shore. Though Mesa Creek is a day-use facility, developed campsites are available at nearby Cimarron. Crystal Creek Trailhead is located on Colorado Highway 92, 24 miles west of Blue Mesa Dam and offers access to the 5-mile (round trip) Crystal Creek Trail. Moderately strenuous, Crystal Creek trail does reach the water but ends at an overlook 1800 ft. above

4032-539: The reservoir spill over into Southern Wyoming near the city of Green River. Completed in 1964, the dam provides water storage and hydroelectric generation, as well as flood control on the Green River, the primary tributary to the Colorado. The powerplant in the dam has a capacity of 153 megawatts or about 8.5% of the entire system. The Navajo Unit consists of the Navajo Dam and the Navajo Lake reservoir. The dam impounds

4104-438: The reservoir. Colorado River Storage Project The Colorado River Storage Project is a United States Bureau of Reclamation project designed to oversee the development of the upper basin of the Colorado River . The project provides hydroelectric power , flood control and water storage for participating states along the upper portion of the Colorado River and its major tributaries. Since its inception in 1956,

4176-419: The river as part of the project has increased the surface area of the Colorado River and the length of time the water is held in the basin which in turn increases the amount of water lost to evaporation. Some estimates indicate that 8.5 million acre feet of water is being lost each year, equivalent to the average amount of water released from Lake Powell to Lake Mead. Water from the Colorado River rarely reaches

4248-406: The river flow past Lees Ferry. Lees Ferry has long been a focal point of American Southwest water disputes, and has been called "both the physical and spiritual heart of water history in the arid West". Today Lees Ferry is a well-known fishing and boat launching point, including for whitewater rafting trips through the Grand Canyon . Lees Ferry is located in northern Arizona, at the point where

4320-485: The river here has been stocked with rainbows since 1964, the implementation of a more stable flow regime at Glen Canyon Dam in 1991 has somewhat reduced the average size of fish caught there due to the increased survival rate of young fish and the resulting competition. Lees Ferry is also the ending point for backpacking and canyoneering trips down the Paria River, which features historic petroglyphs , slot canyons, waterfalls and natural bridges including Wrather Arch ,

4392-461: The river here in 1864, and during the next few years the Mormon presence swelled to the scale of a small military outpost (Lee's Ferry Fort) in order to defend against Navajo raids. However, these works eventually fell into disrepair as a result of not being able to sustain themselves in the valley. John D. Lee , for whom Lees Ferry is now named, came to the crossing in 1870 with the goal of setting up

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4464-420: The river with most trips lasting from one week to ten days. Some trips travel all the way to Lake Mead , 277 miles (446 km) downstream, and can last several weeks. Permits for private trips are no longer backlogged on an extensive waiting list, but instead are now based on a lottery system. All but the most experienced rapid runners are discouraged from this potentially dangerous trip. Trips upstream from

4536-546: The river's flow to the Upper Basin (the U.S. states of Colorado , New Mexico, Utah, Wyoming and northern Arizona) and the Lower Basin (Arizona, California and Nevada ), with the individual "basins" divided by an imaginary line at Lees Ferry. Total allocations, including a later 1944 treaty with Mexico guaranteeing that country most of the remaining water in the river, ran up to 16.5 million acre feet (20.3 km ), which

4608-423: The second ford more than 40 miles (60 km) upstream. Almost two weeks later they successfully crossed the river, and made it back to Santa Fe on January 2, 1777. This point, now submerged under Lake Powell, is named Crossing of the Fathers after Francisco Atanasio Domínguez and Silvestre Vélez de Escalante , the two Franciscan priests who headed the expedition. During the 19th century, Lees Ferry served as

4680-827: The site along with some remnants of the Charles H. Spencer . A small historical cemetery is located nearby. The area is managed by the National Park Service within the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area as a historical site. Lees Ferry is the principal starting point for whitewater rafting trips through the Grand Canyon , which are said to offer "a trip backwards through time" as the river cuts through progressively older strata . The majority of trips are run by commercial rafting enterprises using both paddle and motorized inflatable rafts to carry large parties of tourists (up to 24 passengers per raft) on

4752-456: The system. While the dam is located near Page in northern Arizona, the majority of Lake Powell resides in southern Utah. With a total storage capacity of 27,000,000 acre-feet (33 km ) of water in Lake Powell, the Glen Canyon Unit accounts for over 64% of the system's overall water storage capacity. The 1,296 megawatt capacity of the dam's hydroelectric generators accounts for almost 75% of

4824-424: The system. Additionally, three of the units provide hydroelectric power to major markets in the southwest. Lee's Ferry in Arizona serves as the southern boundary point for the project, which encompasses the Colorado River upstream from this point and all tributaries. The Glen Canyon Unit, which consists of the Glen Canyon Dam , Lake Powell and the Glen Canyon Powerplant, is the largest and most important unit of

4896-443: The treacherous and fluctuating river at this point. The location of the ferry upstream from the Paria River confluence required passengers to traverse a dangerous incline nicknamed "Lee's Backbone" on their ascent up the south wall of the valley. Four years later, Lee was finally arrested by the U.S. government and tried for his role in the massacre. Found guilty, he was executed by firing squad at Mountain Meadows on March 28, 1877. He

4968-413: The upper Colorado River basin were first recorded in 1854 at Fort Supply in Wyoming, when water was diverted from Blacks Fork to irrigate local lands. Subsequent diversions of the waters in the Colorado basin led to preliminary investigations of means to develop the system as early as 1902 when the Bureau of Reclamation, then known as the Reclamation Service, was established. Serious consideration for

5040-413: Was abandoned in favor of a site lower on the Colorado, where Hoover Dam was completed in 1936. In the 1960s, the area was again investigated as part of the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation 's Colorado River Storage Project , and that assessment culminated in the construction of Glen Canyon Dam in 1966. The filling of the resulting Lake Powell of 24.3 million acre feet (30.0 km ) inundated the Crossing of

5112-404: Was believed to be the natural flow of the Colorado River based on early observations at Lees Ferry and other gages along the river. To fully utilize these allocations and prevent water from "wasting" to the ocean, the U.S. federal government constructed a number of large storage dams on the Colorado River system. The canyon country around Lees Ferry was considered for the site of the first dam, but

5184-473: Was the only participant in the massacre to be tried and executed out of the over fifty men who had participated. After Lee's death, his wife Emma continued to operate the ferry for two years, in 1878 establishing an alternative ferry route below the confluence of the Paria River that allowed travelers to avoid the infamous Lee's Backbone segment. However, this route could not be used in the summer months due to dangerous high water levels from snowmelt. In 1879,

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