Item NumberPPLDoh-i-09cTime Coverage1947-1976Date InterviewUndated (1976)DescriptionOral history interview with Don Christianson, of Weldona, Colorado. Mr.Christianson talks extensively about the Narrows Dam project in the Weldon Valley of Weld County and its potential impact upon farmers in the area. The Narrows Dam project was a controversial dam on the South Platte River proposed by the U.S. Department of Reclamation between the 1960s and 1980s. Christianson explains that local residents felt that the Narrows Dam project was a waste of money and time and that there did not seem to be a valid reason to build the dam. The dam would have flooded about 50,000 acres of agricultural land in eastern Colorado and would have forced many farmers to give up their land and move from the area. The interview demonstrates the grass roots opposition to the Narrows project, which ultimately was successful in defeating the proposal. It also demonstrates the importance of water use rights in the West.NarratorChristianson, DonInterviewerGulliford, AndrewTeeuwan, RandallGeographic CoverageWeld County (Colo.)SubjectWater use--West (U.S.)Reclamation of land--ColoradoDamsWater resources development--Government policy--West (U.S.)EnvironmentalismCollectionColorado Centennial - Bicentennial Oral History ProjectOral HistoriesLanguageenPublisherPikes Peak Library DistrictRightshttp://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC-EDU/1.0/Original Format1/4-inch reel-to-reel audio tape
