Illustrations from
BUILDING THE ULTIMATE DAM
Chapters Seven & Nine
Upstream side of the Murray Dam near San Diego,
California. Photo taken shortly after completion of
construction in March 1918.
This dam was built by the
Cuyamaca Water Company under the financial/business leadership of Col. Ed
Fletcher. Fletcher was an ambitious (yet not overwhelming wealthy) San Diego
real estate developer who, beginning in 1916,
sought out Eastwood's service's in order to save money on large water
development projects.
As built, Eastwood's Murray Dam was over 900
feet long and featured
a maximum height of over 115 feet; its total construction cost came in at
less than $130,000.
Detail view of downstream side
of Murray Dam, 1918.
Eastwood's foot is propped on the
rail while Col. Ed Fletcher is to his left.
During
the period 1917-1918 Eastwood and Fletcher developed a
close professional relationship which resulted in the
construction of four multiple arch dams: Murray Dam; Lake
Hodges Dam and San Dieguito Dam (which were both built
with financial support from the Atchison, Topeka and
Santa Fe Railway, a company with major land holdings in
northern San Diego County); and the Eagles Nest Dam, a
small sturcure built on Fletcher's private family estate
near Warners Springs.
Although Eastwood did not
complete any further dams in San Diego, he continued to develop plans for
Fletcher-sponsored projects until the time of his death in August 1924.
Cave Creek Dam near Phoenix, Arizona;
under construction,
December 1922.
This dam was built by
local government organizations as well as private
companies to protect the city's western districts from flooding. The
Santa Fe Railway was one of the primary advocates of the
dam and Eastwood received the design commission because
of his previous work in designing Lake Hodges Dam for
the company (and Ed Fletcher) in San Diego County.
The
structure is noteworthy within Eastwood's career because it was
his first dam to feature a "curved face"
for the arches. This design feature allowed significant
reduction in the amount of concrete necessary for the dam;
although it stretches for more than 1600 feet and has a
maximum depth of 120 feet, the entire structure contains less
than 20,000 cublic feet of concrete.
Drawing of the proposed "radial plan" multiple arch dam to impound
Little Rock Creek in Southern California; drawn by Eastwood,
1919
Eastwood developed his "radial plan" design as
part of on-going effort to develop new and better ways of
reducing the amount of concrete in (and hence the cost of) his
dams. Unfortunately for him, the somewhat odd appaerance of
these designs (which seem to arch away from the reservoir)
mitigated against their acceptance by more traditional dam
builders.
Eventually Eastwood was able to build a
"straight-crested multiple arch dam across Little Rock Creek, but it took
years of effort by the Littlerock Creek Irrigation District to win
approval for the design from the California State Engineer.
Drawing
of the "radial cone" Balojacque Dam, Sinaloa, Mexico, circa
1923
Along with his "radial plan" and "curved face" designs,
during the final phase of his career Eastwood also developed "radial
cone" design that featured a small number of wide-span arches. These
designs used small quantities of concrete while they simultaneously
reduced
the need to build extensive amounts of (complicated ans expensive) wooden
formwork.
The Balojacque Dam was proposed for a large irrigation
project in northern Mexico. As with several other large-scale "radial
cone" designs that Eastwood was developing at the time of his death, the
Balojacque design was never built.
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Page.
Upstream side of the Murray Dam near San Diego, California. Photo taken shortly after completion of construction in March 1918.
This dam was built by the Cuyamaca Water Company under the financial/business leadership of Col. Ed Fletcher. Fletcher was an ambitious (yet not overwhelming wealthy) San Diego real estate developer who, beginning in 1916, sought out Eastwood's service's in order to save money on large water development projects.
As built, Eastwood's Murray Dam was over 900 feet long and featured a maximum height of over 115 feet; its total construction cost came in at less than $130,000.
Detail view of downstream side of Murray Dam, 1918.
Eastwood's foot is propped on the rail while Col. Ed Fletcher is to his left.
During the period 1917-1918 Eastwood and Fletcher developed a close professional relationship which resulted in the construction of four multiple arch dams: Murray Dam; Lake Hodges Dam and San Dieguito Dam (which were both built with financial support from the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway, a company with major land holdings in northern San Diego County); and the Eagles Nest Dam, a small sturcure built on Fletcher's private family estate near Warners Springs.
Although Eastwood did not complete any further dams in San Diego, he continued to develop plans for Fletcher-sponsored projects until the time of his death in August 1924.
Cave Creek Dam near Phoenix, Arizona;
under construction,
December 1922.
This dam was built by
local government organizations as well as private
companies to protect the city's western districts from flooding. The
Santa Fe Railway was one of the primary advocates of the
dam and Eastwood received the design commission because
of his previous work in designing Lake Hodges Dam for
the company (and Ed Fletcher) in San Diego County.
The
structure is noteworthy within Eastwood's career because it was
his first dam to feature a "curved face"
for the arches. This design feature allowed significant
reduction in the amount of concrete necessary for the dam;
although it stretches for more than 1600 feet and has a
maximum depth of 120 feet, the entire structure contains less
than 20,000 cublic feet of concrete.
Drawing of the proposed "radial plan" multiple arch dam to impound
Little Rock Creek in Southern California; drawn by Eastwood,
1919
Eastwood developed his "radial plan" design as
part of on-going effort to develop new and better ways of
reducing the amount of concrete in (and hence the cost of) his
dams. Unfortunately for him, the somewhat odd appaerance of
these designs (which seem to arch away from the reservoir)
mitigated against their acceptance by more traditional dam
builders.
Eventually Eastwood was able to build a
"straight-crested multiple arch dam across Little Rock Creek, but it took
years of effort by the Littlerock Creek Irrigation District to win
approval for the design from the California State Engineer.
Drawing
of the "radial cone" Balojacque Dam, Sinaloa, Mexico, circa
1923
Along with his "radial plan" and "curved face" designs,
during the final phase of his career Eastwood also developed "radial
cone" design that featured a small number of wide-span arches. These
designs used small quantities of concrete while they simultaneously
reduced
the need to build extensive amounts of (complicated ans expensive) wooden
formwork.
The Balojacque Dam was proposed for a large irrigation
project in northern Mexico. As with several other large-scale "radial
cone" designs that Eastwood was developing at the time of his death, the
Balojacque design was never built.
Return to the Illustrations Main Page.
Return to the Building the Ultimate Dam Main
Page.
Cave Creek Dam near Phoenix, Arizona;
under construction, December 1922.
This dam was built by local government organizations as well as private companies to protect the city's western districts from flooding. The Santa Fe Railway was one of the primary advocates of the dam and Eastwood received the design commission because of his previous work in designing Lake Hodges Dam for the company (and Ed Fletcher) in San Diego County.
The structure is noteworthy within Eastwood's career because it was his first dam to feature a "curved face" for the arches. This design feature allowed significant reduction in the amount of concrete necessary for the dam; although it stretches for more than 1600 feet and has a maximum depth of 120 feet, the entire structure contains less than 20,000 cublic feet of concrete.
Drawing of the proposed "radial plan" multiple arch dam to impound Little Rock Creek in Southern California; drawn by Eastwood, 1919
Eastwood developed his "radial plan" design as part of on-going effort to develop new and better ways of reducing the amount of concrete in (and hence the cost of) his dams. Unfortunately for him, the somewhat odd appaerance of these designs (which seem to arch away from the reservoir) mitigated against their acceptance by more traditional dam builders.
Eventually Eastwood was able to build a "straight-crested multiple arch dam across Little Rock Creek, but it took years of effort by the Littlerock Creek Irrigation District to win approval for the design from the California State Engineer.
Drawing of the "radial cone" Balojacque Dam, Sinaloa, Mexico, circa 1923
Along with his "radial plan" and "curved face" designs, during the final phase of his career Eastwood also developed "radial cone" design that featured a small number of wide-span arches. These designs used small quantities of concrete while they simultaneously reduced the need to build extensive amounts of (complicated ans expensive) wooden formwork.
The Balojacque Dam was proposed for a large irrigation project in northern Mexico. As with several other large-scale "radial cone" designs that Eastwood was developing at the time of his death, the Balojacque design was never built.
Return to the Illustrations Main Page.
Return to the Building the Ultimate Dam Main Page.