Coolidge Dam
Gila County, Gila County, Arizona
Marker Inscription
Coolidge Dam. Coolidge Dam, built between 1927 and 1928, was named for president Calvin Coolidge, who dedicated it on March 4, 1930. The dam formed the San Carlos Lake covering the old San Carlos Apache settlement, which was relocated north to New San Carlos. The foundations of the buildings and a concrete marker erected over the burial grounds are still visible when the water level in the lake is low.
Erected by ADOT
The Story
Built between 1927 and 1928 and dedicated by President Calvin Coolidge himself in 1930, Coolidge Dam impounded the Gila River to create San Carlos Lake. The reservoir drowned the old San Carlos Apache settlement, whose people were relocated north to New San Carlos; when the water runs low, the foundations and a concrete marker over the old burial ground still emerge. It stands as both an engineering feat and a monument to displacement.
Why it matters
The dam captures the double-edged story of Western water development — modern progress achieved at the direct cost of an Indigenous community's homeland.
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Related people
- · Calvin Coolidge
Themes & tags
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