Salinas Dam, Salinas River near Pozo Road, Santa Margarita, San Luis Obispo County, CA

Significance: The Salinas Dam, a "hoof" type, inclined, variable radius arch cam, was designed by Raymond A. Hill, an important structural engineer who worked in Los Angeles, California between 1919 and the 1960s. It retains a high degree of integrity to its appearance at the time of its construction in 1941-42. The dam is significant for its direct association with military preparedness in San Luis Obispo County just before and during the early years of World War II, and as a distinguished example of heroic engineering and construction under wartime conditions. The dam stands as a monument to the "can do" attitude of the Army and its contractors during this period, the attitude that, because great challenges were facing the nation, essentially any obstacle could be overcome given sufficient will and resources. Whether considered within the context of military construction or dam construction in California, the Salinas Dam appears to be a significant property.

Survey number: HAER CA-183

Building/structure dates: 1942 Initial Construction

dams war world war ii water supply santa margarita salinas dam salinas dam salinas river pozo pozo road san luis obispo san luis obispo county california historic american engineering record us army corps of engineers photo ultra high resolution high resolution building plans architectural diagrams engineering diagrams design architectural drawings library of congress

1969 - 1980

Library of Congress

http://www.loc.gov/

No known restrictions on images made by the U.S. Government; images copied from other sources may be restricted. http://www.loc.gov/rr/print/res/114_habs.html