The Gillespie Dam is a concrete gravity dam located on the Gila River between the towns of Buckeye and Gila Bend, Arizona . The dam was constructed during the 1920s for primarily irrigation purposes. It was key to the development of a 72,000-acre (29,000 ha) parcel owned by "millionaire" W.S. Gillespie of Tulsa, Oklahoma , initially allowing for irrigation of 10,000 acres (4,000 ha). A portion of the dam failed unexpectedly in 1993 during unusually heavy rains.
25-569: The Gillespie Dam was constructed circa 1920 by a local rancher, Frank Gillespie ( Gillespie Land and Irrigation Company ), to replace an existing structure. As the dam was located at an important river crossing that would later become U.S. Route 80 , the Arizona Highway Department – the predecessor to the Arizona Department of Transportation – constructed a concrete apron at the foot of the dam to allow for vehicular crossings. As
50-408: A flood of a magnitude anticipated only once per 65 years. The previous high, recorded during similarly disastrous floods in 1980, had been 178,000 cubic feet (5,000 m) per second. Due to the failure, three underground natural gas lines were exposed and later severed by the floodwaters. The bridge downstream survived, and was deemed safe for travel. The remnants of the dam remain in place and
75-409: A frequent contributor, as has been Jerry Jacka, known for not only landscapes but for his photos of the historic and contemporary art (and people) of Arizona's Native American communities. Five separate issues of Arizona Highways have been devoted entirely to Jacka's work. Today, Arizona Highways ' monthly circulation surpasses 200,000 copies, with readers in 50 U.S. states and in two-thirds of
100-615: A hotel, many residences, water and lighting systems and all other modern conveniences." The winter months of 1993 saw unusually high rainfall amounts that resulted in record flows through central Arizona rivers and streams, including the Salt River , a major tributary to the Gila upstream from the Gillespie Dam. At approximately 10:30 on the morning of January 9, the dam failed when a segment approximately 120 feet (37 m) in length collapsed into
125-472: A variety of duties and also enforce fuel tax laws. The Bureau also assists other state, local and federal agencies when needed. The Office of Inspector General (OIG) utilizes detectives to deter theft, fraud and other crimes as well as assisting other state, local and federal agencies. The Executive Hearing Office (EHO) employs an Administrative Law Judge and staff on driver license hearings and other administrative cases. The Multimodal Planning Division (MPD)
150-568: Is a magazine that contains travelogues and artistic photographs related to the U.S. state of Arizona . It is published monthly in Phoenix by a unit of the Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT). The magazine began in July 1921 by the Arizona Highway Department (now the Arizona Department of Transportation) as a 10-page pamphlet designed to promote "the development of good roads throughout
175-554: Is also involved with public transportation and municipal airports . The department was created in 1974 when the state merged the Arizona Highway Department with the Arizona Department of Aeronautics. Jennifer Toth was appointed by Governor Katie Hobbs as the ADOT Director in January 2023. Former U.S. Secretary of Transportation Mary Peters had previously been a Director of ADOT. The past Federal Highway Administrator, Victor Mendez ,
200-588: Is headed by ADOT Assistant Director Eric Jorgensen. As of FY 2023, the MVD has 7,969,576 license plates registered with the department. The Enforcement and Compliance Division utilizes certified peace officers to enforce transportation related laws and regulations. The Enforcement and Compliance Division was originally the enforcement component of the Motor Vehicle Division. Created in 2010 by former division Director, Terry Connor (retired Arizona DPS Commander),
225-582: Is the arm of ADOT involved in transportation planning. As its name suggests, the mandate for the MPD deals with creating plans for various modes of transport, including highways and public transit at both a regional and statewide level. ADOT is noted for using pop-culture references to catch commuters eyes and deliver important safety tips on the electronic overhead signs. References have included Star Wars , Star Trek , and Pokémon Go . Signs have included: Arizona Highways (magazine) Arizona Highways
250-863: The Division separated from the Motor Vehicle Division to improve the enforcement capabilities of the department. Under current Division Director Tim Lane, the division continues to provide the state of Arizona a highly trained agency to protect Arizona's infrastructure. The Enforcement and Compliance Division has 3 separate units: the Enforcement Services Bureau, Office of Inspector General and the Executive Hearing Office. The Enforcement Services Bureau (ESB) utilizes certified police officers to enforce state and federal commercial vehicle regulations. Stationed at Port of Entry stations, mobile scale teams and MVD offices, these officers are trained to perform
275-561: The Southwest outside of Arizona have been featured, including Bryce Canyon National Park in southern Utah. Several issues have been devoted exclusively to Mexico, documenting places of historical interest and natural beauty (including the border town of Nogales ), accessible to Arizonans via a relatively short drive south of the border. In the mid-1960s, there were reports that Arizona Highways had been designated as "subversive literature", despite being non-political, and subsequently banned by
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#1732855687883300-405: The area is largely accessible to the public. A small earthen embankment exists to divert water into nearby canals . Arizona Department of Transportation The Arizona Department of Transportation ( ADOT , / ˈ eɪ d ɒ t / ) is an Arizona state government agency charged with facilitating mobility within the state. In addition to managing the state's highway system , the agency
325-670: The authorities of various countries in the Eastern Bloc , including East Germany and the Soviet Union . Arizona Highways states that the reason the magazine was banned was because the magazine was believed to propagandize life in America. Arizona Highways promoted the art of Ettore "Ted" DeGrazia , showcasing his artwork especially in their December issues. Beginning in the 1950s, the December issue became known as "Arizona's Christmas card to
350-556: The bridge under Maricopa County care. The bridge was added to the National Register of Historic Places on May 5, 1981. The dam was also to have supported a new town of Gillespie that was to be built 12 miles (19 km) west of Gila Bend along the Southern Pacific Railroad . Gillespie was reported to have planned to spend $ 1,000,000 building the town, including "graded streets, cement sidewalks, business blocks and
375-598: The dam was a simple spillover construction, during times of heavy runoff cars would have to be pulled through the flow by trucks, and during floods could not cross at all. In anticipation of the formation of the United States Highway System in 1926, the Highway Department commissioned the construction of the Gillespie Dam Bridge , a steel truss bridge just downstream from the dam. The bridge
400-677: The editorial tone and style for which it is best known to the present day. Arizona Highways has been well known for documenting the Native American people of Arizona and the Southwest, especially the Navajo , the Hopi and Apache ; this includes stories and photos of life on the reservations, and centuries-old Native ceremonies such as the "sunrise dance" of the Apache. (Future U.S. Senator and 1964 presidential candidate Barry Goldwater first became known in
425-596: The late 1930s for his photographs of Native American life in Arizona, as well as other scenic landscapes such as the Grand Canyon, published in the pages of Arizona Highways .) From time to time, special issues would be devoted to major places of interest in Arizona, such as the Phoenix and Tucson areas (as well as each of Arizona's major state-run universities ), and the Grand Canyon . In selected issues, destinations in
450-483: The late 1930s; son David Muench , who assisted his father as a teenager (his first of many Arizona Highways covers appeared in January 1955 when he was eighteen, and whose style became a standard followed by several later photographers for the magazine); and David's son Marc Muench , who became a fixture in Arizona Highways ' pages starting in the 1980s. Pulitzer Prize-winning photojournalist Jack Dykinga has been
475-531: The magazine. Photographs include "Arches, North Court, Mission San Xavier del Bac, Tucson, Arizona, 1968" and "Saguaro Cactus, Sunrise, Arizona, 1942". Since this time, the magazine has become known for its photography , often compared favorably with that of National Geographic and similar travel magazines. Three generations of the Muench family contributed landscape photographs to Arizona Highways : Josef Muench, an immigrant from Bavaria, whose first photos appeared in
500-477: The present format of travel tales, historical stories, and humor about the state of Arizona (including stories about Arizona's contribution to the history of the Old West ), always enhanced by the now-legendary photography. This transition began largely under the watch of Raymond Carlson, who began as editor in 1938 and served until 1971; under his leadership the magazine stopped accepting advertisements and developed
525-407: The river. While the precise cause of the failure is unknown, the extreme flooding was almost certainly a contributing factor. The precise size of the flood was not recorded due to equipment failure, but an estimate based upon a high-water mark recorded on USGS equipment yielded a peak flow of approximately 200,000 cubic feet (5,700 m) per second, corresponding to a predicted 65-year flood , or
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#1732855687883550-405: The state." Publication of the pamphlet ended on December 30, 1922, after nine issues. The publication was relaunched on April 15, 1925, as a regular magazine. In addition to the engineering articles, cartoons and travelogues were also included in the early issues. Over the next two decades the magazine reduced, and then stopped, inclusion of the road engineering articles and dedicated itself to
575-465: The world" as it was for many years the only issue of the year produced in full color, allowing for many dramatic and awe-inspiring color shots of the Arizona landscape, from the desert regions of the central and southern portions of the state to the snow-covered pine forests of Flagstaff and other northern areas. Arizona Highways began printing all issues in full color by the mid-1980s. In 1946, photographer Ansel Adams started to contribute prints for
600-601: Was also previously a Director of ADOT. ADOT's publications division publishes Arizona Highways magazine. The Aeronautics Division, now a part of the Multimodal Planning Division, promotes aviation in the state, license aircraft dealers, assists in the development of public airport projects and manages Grand Canyon National Park Airport . The Motor Vehicle Division (MVD) is responsible for driver licensing and vehicle registration. It has 1600 employees and an annual operating budget of $ 72 million. Currently it
625-403: Was completed and opened to traffic on August 1, 1927, at a cost of US $ 320,000 (equivalent to US$ 5,613,000 in 2023). The bridge, which was at the time the longest highway bridge in the state of Arizona, was immediately incorporated into the highway system as Route 80. The bridge carried US 80 traffic until 1956 when the highway was decommissioned, devolving to a county highway, thus placing
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