Gillespie Dam Remnants

The concrete Gillespie Dam was constructed in 1921 by a local rancher for primarily irrigation purposes. The Arizona Highway Department added a concrete apron at the foot of the dam to allow for vehicular crossings. As 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.

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 the river. An estimate based upon a high water mark recorded on USGS equipment yielded a peak flow of approximately 200,000 cubic feet per second, corresponding to a predicted 65 year flood.

MEDIUM: Fine art print (unframed)
STANDARD PRINT SIZES: 8×12, 12×18, 16×24
CROPPED PRINT SIZES: 8×10, 11×14, 16×20