Featuring North America’s Leading Travel Destinations
Dams & Bridges 2020 Walkway Over the Hudson Cincinnati’s 19th Century Suspension Bridge South Carolina’s Lake Murray Dam London Bridge — In Arizona Arizona’s Glen Canyon Dam & Lake Powell California’s Shasta Dam
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Byways Magazine ©Copyright 2019 by Byways, Inc. All rights reserved. No portion of this publication may be duplicated in any form without express written permission of the publisher. For more than 36 years, Byways has been covering the leading destinations along the highways and byways of North America. Some of the most well-known, and least known, destinations to discover in the United States and Canada. Byways is published in three versions. The is the Turn-Key edition on the web for viewing on Computers, Android, iOS (iPhone and iPad). There is an Apple App Store edition. There is also a Byways Magazine Channel in Apple News. A Byways Podcast is available on major podcast apps, including the Apple Podcast app. For advertising rates, editorial deadlines, or to place advertising insertions, contact: Byways Magazine 502-785-4875 or Email http://bywaysmagazine.com Byways • 3
PREVIEW By Steve Kirchner, Editor & Publisher
elcome to the Dams and and transported stone by stone to the desert of Arizona. But it was the Parker Dam on the Colorado River Bridges issue of Byways. We visit sites in New York, which made it all possible. Parker Dam is the world’s deepest dam. Construction South Carolina, Ohio, Arizona and workers had to dig down 235 feet through sand and gravCalifornia. el of the riverbed before hitting the bedrock needed to Begin by walking over the water, the secure the foundation. Hudson River, to be more exact. The dam created Lake Havasu on the CaliforniaIn October, 2009, Walkway Over the Hudson opened Nevada border in 1938, But it was not until 1968 that as a pedestrian walkway, part of the Walkway Over the Robert McCulloch, a successful industrialist –- chainHudson State Historic Park. But the history of the bridge goes all the way back to saws and outboard motors — turned land developer. And 1889, when it first opened as a double track railroad to promote his Lake Havasu City project, he decided to bridge, part of the Maybrook Railroad Line of the New buy a bridge in London, and bring it to Arizona. Glen Canyon Dam, also in Arizona, was constructed Haven Railroad. Originally known as the Poughkeepsie to harness the power of the Colorado River in order to Bridge, it was the only fixed Hudson River crossing provide for the water and power needs of millions of between Albany and New York City until the construcpeople in the West. tion of the Bear Mountain Bridge in 1924. It was built by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation from It played a vital role during World War II, and was guarded day and night by U.S. Army soldiers. At its 1956 to 1966 and forms Lake Powell, one of the largest man-made reservoirs in the U.S. peak, 3,500 rail cars passed over the Glen Canyon Dam is the second bridge each day. highest concrete-arch dam in the Today, the walkway connects with United States, second only to the Dutchess Rail Trail on the Hoover Dam. Poughkeepsie side and the Hudson Lake Powell offers visitors Valley Rail Trail on the Highland side, spectacular scenery and numermaking it part of a 30-mile continuous ous recreational opportunities. trail. Managed by the National Park A year ago we featured the Brooklyn service, the Glen Canyon Bridge in New York City. But that was Roebling Suspension Bridge National Recreation Area is visitnot the first suspension bridge ed by over 3 million people each designed by John A. Roebling. In fact, when it was comyear. pleted in 1866, Roebling’s bridge over the Ohio River California’s Shasta Dam, completed on the between Cincinnati, Ohio and Covington, Kentucky was Sacramento River in 1945, is breathtaking not only for the longest suspension bridge in the world. Now known as the Roebling Suspension Bridge, it has its great size, but for its majestic setting in the southern been a symbol of Cincinnati pride since its completion. range of the Cascades. The 602 foot-high, concrete, curved gravity dam holds South Carolina’s Lake Murray Dam, officially known back an immense blue reservoir, Shasta Lake. Nearby is as the Dreher Shoals Dam, is an earthen embankment the snow-covered volcanic peak of Mount Shasta. dam located 10 miles west of Columbia on the Saluda Shasta Lake is second in size in California only to River. Lake Tahoe, with 370 miles of shoreline. It holds enough At the time of its completion in 1930, it was the water when full to provide 5,000 gallons to every person world’s largest earthen dam, creating the world’s largest in the United States. man-made lake, Lake Murray. In What’s Happening, we visit the 80th floor of New Today, the four county region surrounding the lake York City’s most famous building, the Empire State offers residents and visitors pristine waters for boating, Building. Its renovation adds engaging and informative swimming and all kinds of water sport. exhibits to orient visitors on their visit to New York City Bill Graves takes us on a tour of the London Bridge — and showcases the building’s unique place at the center the one in Lake Havasu City. We learn the story of how of it all. a bridge was taken from the heart of London, England,
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Volume 36, Issue No. 6 2019 On the cover. Cincinnati’s 19th century John A. Roebling Suspension Bridge was the longest suspension bridge in the world upon its completion, and has been the pride of the city ever since. For more on Dams & Bridges, turn to page 8. Cover photo courtesy Wikimedia Commons.
Features Bridges & Dams 2020 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 The Walkway Over the Hudson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Cincinnati’s 19th Century John A. Roebling Suspension Bridge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 South Carolina’s Lake Murray Dam . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 London Bridge — In Arizona . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Glen Canyon Dam & Lake Powell. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 California’s Shasta Dam . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Departments Byways Instant Connect . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Byways Preview. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Traveling the Highways & Byways with Bill Graves . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Advertisers Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
What’s Happening Empire State Building Completes 80th Floor Visitor Renovation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 Coming in future issues of Byways ...Great American Railroads, Mountains & Valleys, Ocean Views, Rivers & Lakes, and more!
Next Up: Great American Railroads. Right, the Mount Washington Railroad recently celebrated its 150th anniversary.
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Dams & Bridges 2020
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n o s d u H e h t r e Walkway Ov
Bikers rest on the bridge looking south over the Hudson River. Photo courtesy Dutchess Tourism.
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Join the crew or take a dinn
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he Walkway over the Hudson, also known as the Poughkeepsie Bridge, is a steel cantilever bridge spanning the Hudson River between Poughkeepsie, New York, on the east bank and Highland, New York, on the west bank. Built as a double track railroad bridge, it was completed on January 1, 1889, and formed part of the Maybrook Railroad Line of the New Haven Railroad. It was taken out of service in 1974, after it was damaged by fire. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979, and its entry updated in 2008. It was reopened in October, 2009, as a pedestrian walkway as part of the new Walkway Over the Hudson State Historic Park. The New York State Bridge Authority owns and is charged with maintaining the bridge structure. At a length of 6,768 feet, it is one of the world’s longest elevated pedestrian footbridges.
prominent backers was Henry Clay Frick, the coal tycoon and associate of Andrew Carnegie. The Union Bridge Company of Athens, Pennsylvania, which had completed the Michigan Central cantilever bridge at Niagara, was subcontracted to build the Poughkeepsie Bridge. Considered an engineering marvel of the day, the bridge has seven main spans. The bridge was the only fixed Hudson River crossing between Albany and New York City until the construction of the Bear Mountain Bridge in 1924, and was advertised as a way to avoid New York City car floats and railroad passenger ferries. Ownership of the bridge passed through several railroads including the Central New England Railway, New York, New Haven & Hartford Railroad, Penn Central and Conrail.
World War II
During World War II, the bridge was a vital link for In 1886, the Manhattan Bridge Building Company war freight traffic, guarded around the clock by United was organized to finance bridge construction. Among the States Army soldiers. At its peak, nearly 3,500 train cars
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crossed over the Hudson on a daily basis. In 1998, after 14 years of abandonment and decay, title to the bridge passed to a nonprofit volunteer organization called Walkway Over the Hudson, which took title through its nonprofit New York corporation, the Poughkeepsie-Highland Railroad Bridge Company, Inc., hoping to turn it into a pedestrian and cyclist walkway. In 2010, the Walkway corporation conveyed the entire structure to the New York State Bridge Authority, which restored high-limit liability insurance and “deep-pocket’ maintenance assurance for the first time since November 2, 1984.
Walkway Over the Hudson Opens
ner cruise under the Walkway Over the Hudson.
The opening ceremony of the Walkway Over the Hudson State Historic Park, on October 3, 2009, featured music by Pete Seeger, and was attended by Governor David Paterson, Senator Chuck Schumer and other dignitaries. The walkway immediately saw many more visitors than the expected 267,000 per year. In its first three months, it saw some 415,000 people. Today, the walkway connects with the Dutchess Rail Trail on the Poughkeepsie side and the Hudson Valley Rail Trail on the Highland side, making it part of a 30mile continuous trail stretching from Hopewell Junction to the hamlet of Highland, with further extensions planned. It is also part of the Empire State Trail. In 2017, the walkway hosted nearly 600,000 visitors. There are restrooms located at the ends of the walkway. Pets are permitted, but owners should bring equipment to clean up. Bicycles and roller blades (but not skateboards) are permitted, and the walkway is flat and relatively wheelchair-friendly.
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Walking over the Bridge. Photo courtesy Wikimedia Commons. Byways • 11
Poughkeepsie Bridge circa 1900. Photo courtesy Wikimedia Commons.
A beautiful fall day for walking over the Hudson River. 12 • Byways
the Walkway from Upper Landing Park. It was rebuilt with new “energy chain” technology which will make operations more reliable.
New Visitor & Welcome Centers In 2018, the $5.4 million, 3,500-square-foot Ulster Welcome Center at the western gateway officially opened. The facility has a plaza and amphitheater, 1,400 square foot covered patio and concession stand and public restrooms. In 2019 the $3 million Dutchess Welcome Center at Entrance to the Walkway Over the Hudson. the eastern end of the park Photo courtesy Dutchess Tourism. was dedicated and opened to the public. The 1,800 squarefoot facility features restIn summer 2014, an elevator connecting Upper Landing Park to the walkway was opened. This allows rooms, bike racks, tourist information, an outdoor patio visitors to reach the center of the span via a more direct with benches and a water fountain for dogs. route. It also connects the walkway to the Poughkeepsie For more information, visit: waterfront area, which is near the railroad station, Midhttps://walkway.org Hudson Children’s Museum, and Waryas Park. A new https://dutchesstourism.com glassed-in elevator opened in 2019, that takes visitors to
Walk, bike, or even rollerblade the Walkway Over the Hudson. Photo courtesy Dutchess Tourism. Byways • 13
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Cincinnati’s 19th Century John A. Roebling Suspension Bridge
The John A. Roebling Suspension Bridge spans the Ohio River between Cincinnati, Ohio and Covington, Kentucky. When opened it was the longest suspension bridge in the world. Photo courtesy Amanda Rossman and CincinnatiUSA.Com Byways • 15
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Night view of Cincinnati as viewed from Covington, Kentucky. Photo courtesy Ross Van Pelt and CincinnatiUSA.com. he John A. Roebling Suspension Bridge spans the constrict traffic on the river even further was a wire cable Ohio River between Cincinnati, Ohio and suspension bridge of the type developed by French engiCovington, Kentucky. When opened on neers. Several American engineers had begun designing December 1, 1866, it was the longest suspension bridge and building suspension bridges. One of these men was in the world at 1,057 feet, which was later overtaken by John A. Roebling of Saxonburg, Pennsylvania. The Ohio John A. Roebling’s most famous design of the 1883 River, however, was much wider than any river that had been bridged in France. Brooklyn Bridge at 1,595.5 feet. Excavation for the foundation of the Covington tower Few American cities can claim a landmark as distinccommenced in September 1856 and went smoothly. A tive as the Roebling Suspension Bridge. It has been a foundation was set consisting of 13 layers of oak beams, symbol of the city since its completion. each layer set perpendicular to the one beneath it, bolted Today, pedestrians use the bridge to get between the sports venues in Cincinnati (Paul Brown Stadium, Great American Ball View from Covington looking toward Cincinnati, circa 1870. Park, and U.S. Bank Arena) and the hotels, bars, restaurants, and parking lots in Northern Kentucky. The bar and restaurant district at the foot of the bridge on the Kentucky side is known as Roebling Point. In the mid-19th century, need of a passage over the Ohio River became apparent. Commerce between Ohio and Kentucky had increased to the point that the highly congested steamboat traffic was constricting the economy. A solution that would not
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with iron hardware, and finally all cemented into place. When the crews reached the compacted gravel bed of the Ohio River, Roebling decided this would be sufficient for the foundation of the Cincinnati tower. Oak timbers were laid, mirroring the foundation of the Covington tower, and within three months, masonry on both towers reached above the waterline (which, at this time, was at a record low for the fall). Work halted for the freezing temperatures. Working from July to August 1857, the company was without liquid funds, a problem compounded by the Panic of 1857. Work halted because of the inability to pay for the project. In July 1858, operations resumed again, albeit with a smaller workforce. Only one tower was worked on at a time. No work was be done during the years 1859–60. In November 1860, Abraham Lincoln was elected president of the United States, and the Civil War began in January 1861. Upon a threatened siege of Cincinnati from Confederate forces, a pontoon bridge was built to span the Ohio River, allowing Union troops to cross and construct defenses. Soon after, once it had become obvious that a permanent structure was vital, money from investors came pouring in. Work on the bridge proceeded steadily after the end of the war. In September 1865 the first two wire ropes were laid. They were unwound from a spool on a barge, allowed to sink to the bottom of the river, then raised in unison from the riverbed. Wooden crossbeams were laid
Statue of John A. Roebling near the bridge. Photo courtesy CincinnatiUSA.com.
Walking the Bridge with close-up of suspension cables. Photo courtesy Glenn Hartong and CincinnatiUSA.com.
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Northern Kentucky Skyline with Roebling Suspension Bridge. Photo courtesy Liz Dufour and CincinnatiUSA.com at regular intervals from the wire ropes, and a simple The Covington-Cincinnati Bridge Company, a private footbridge was constructed for the benefit of the work- company, operated the bridge until the Commonwealth ers. of Kentucky purchased it in 1953 for $4.2 million. The The cabling of the bridge went at a feverish pace, with state collected tolls until 1963 when the Brent Spence about eighty wires placed per day. Hundreds watched The bridge circa 1907. Photo the spider-like process from both shores. And on June courtesy Wikimedia Commons. 23, 1866, the last wire was taken across, for a total of 10,360 wires. On December 1, 1866, pedestrians walked upon the bridge, known locally only as “The Suspension Bridge,” for the first time. Over 166,000 people walked across in the first two days. Final touches were put on the bridge over the next few months, and construction officially ended in July 1867. When the Roebling Bridge was formally opened on January 1, 1867, the driver of a horse and buggy was charged a toll of 15 cents to cross; the toll for three horses and a carriage was 25 cents. Pedestrians were charged one cent. 18 • Byways
Bridge was opened on Interstate 75, downstream, approximately 0.6 miles to the west of The Roebling Suspension Bridge. The bridge was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1975 and was designated a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark in 1983. It remains the busiest of Cincinnati’s four non-freeway automobile or pedestrian bridges. Initially called the “CovingtonCincinnati Suspension Bridge” or “Ohio River Bridge,” it was renamed in honor of its designer and builder on June 27, 1983. In 2007, the Commonwealth of Kentucky reduced the weight limit to 11 tons to prevent future structural damage following an analysis by the University of Kentucky. The lower weight limit prevents large trucks, buses and motorcoaches from crossing the bridge. For more on the Cincinnati region, including Northern Kentucky, go to https://cincinnatiusa.com The Belle of Louisville docks next to the Natchez in Cincinnati for the annual Tall Stacks race. Photo courtesy Bryce Mullet & Wikimedia Commons.
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Lake Murray Dam and pedestrian walk. Photo courtesy Lake Murray County.
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South Carolina’s Lake Murray Dam
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Lake Murray Dam at dusk. Photo courtesy Wikimedia Commons.
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t’s officially named the Dreher Shoals Dam, but is better known as the Lake Murray Dam, an earthen embankment dam located 10 miles west of Columbia, South Carolina on the Saluda River. The construction of the Dam started in 1927. Located in the heart of South Carolina, it is said to have employed over 5,000 people to construct this earthen dam. On Dec 1, 1930, the first electric power— 10,000 kilowatts—was delivered and Lake Murray was celebrated as the world’s largest power reservoir. The dam provides flood control, hydroelectricity, recreation and water supply. At the time of its completion, the Saluda Dam was the world’s largest earthen dam, creating the world’s largest man-made lake, Lake Murray. In 2005, construction on a 213 ft tall roller-compacted concrete dam was completed at the toe of the original dam in order to mitigate an earthquake-caused dam failure.
Dam Created Lake Murray The dam created Lake Murray, a reservoir of 50,000 acres in size, with 500 miles of shoreline. Lake Murray is fed by the Saluda River, which flows from upstate South Carolina near the North Carolina state line. The Dam was an engineering feat at the time of its con22 • Byways
struction, using native red clay soil and bedrock. Lake Murray itself is named after the project’s chief engineer, William S. Murray. The original Saluda Dam is a 7,800 ft, 213-foot-high earthen-embankment dam. The dam contains a 2,900 ft long emergency spillway controlled by six steel tainter gates. The back-up dam is located at the original dam’s toe
and is a 2,300 ft long, 213-foot high roller-compacted concrete dam. Rock-fill embankment sections also exist on the south and north ends of the back-up dam, making a total length of 5,700 ft. During construction, workers laid 18,590 cubic yards of roller-compacted concrete in one day, setting a North American record. The total fill for the back-up dam is 1,300,000 cubic yards. Because of this and the worker's “proactive approach to protecting the surrounding communities, and the innovative methods they implemented South Carolina State House in Columbia. The city is only 11 to achieve that goal...”, it miles from Lake Murray. Photo courtesy Wikimedia Commons. received the 2006 American Society of Civil Engineers Outstanding Civil Engineering Achievement Award. Recreation for Water Sports Today, the four county region surrounding the lake World War II offers residents and visitors pristine waters for boating, Throughout the 1940s, a number of B-25 Mitchell swimming and all kinds of water sport. bombers (flying out of nearby Columbia) crashed into With its close proximity to the State’s capital of Lake Murray during training exercises for World War II. Columbia, home to the Army’s Fort Jackson and the A few were able to be recovered, but three remained until University of South Carolina, the region offers all the September 2005, when a B-25C Mitchell bomber that attractions of city living, live theater, arts, entertainment, crashed in 1943 was raised from the depths of the lake. history, museums, sporting events and fantastic dining and drinking. The Lake Murray Dam Walkway is a walking pathway directly across the top of the dam along S.C. Highway 6. It’s a popular place for walking and jogging. The walkway offers spectacular views of Lake Murray and even the downtown Columbia skyline 11 miles away. Nearby Newberry County offers one of the most picturesque small town communities, known for its College, Opera House and bucolic farm lands. It’s worth a visit to learn more about this storied lake and historic dam. To learn more about visiting, go to: https://www.lakemurraycountry.com
Lake Murray’s western side. Photo courtesy Wikimedia Commons.
http://www.lake-murray.org/state-park
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Traveling the Highways & Byways with Bill Graves
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emember 1968? That was a good year for Richard Nixon — he was elected president. And for Simon and Garfunkel, their Mrs. Robinson was the record of the year. The Graduate was the big movie. Airport was the most popular book. And Rowan and Martin’s LaughIn was the number one show on television. Gomer Pyle was number two. Most of us watched in black and white, as only 24% of us had color TVs back then. The major news stories from overseas that year included the capture of the USS Pueblo by North Korea and the Tet Offensive in Vietnam. The news that confounded the civilized world, of course, was a report out of the United Kingdom: The legendary London Bridge had been sold to an American,
Lake Havasu’s London Bridge. Photo courtesy Bill Graves.
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London Bridge — In Arizona Robert McCulloch, a successful industrialist –- chainsaws and outboard motors — turned land developer. He planned to disassemble it, stone by stone, and move it to the Sonoran Desert in Arizona. The Brits were flabbergasted. (Who wasn’t?) But, some said, at least the country’s largest museum piece would not end up in Piccadilly Circus as bar tops or souvenir paperweights. “London Bridge” has existed for nearly 2,000 years, beginning with a wooden crossing believed to have been in place in the First Century A.D. The most durable of the London Bridges was one started in 1176 A.D. and completed 30 years later. It lasted 625 years. The legendary bridge of nursery-rhyme fame, the “falling down” bridge, was destroyed in a raid by a Viking Chief, Olaf the Norwegian. This current one took six years to build and was dedicated in 1831. It survived World War II in good shape, but has lasting scars from low-level air battles over London. The world had been hearing for a decade that the
130,000-ton bridge was sinking into the clay bottom of Thames River, a victim of its own weight. Its days were numbered — we knew that — as it could no longer handle busy city traffic and 50,000 pedestrians every day. Once the intended sale was announced, bids for it came in from all over the world, including Los Angeles and New York. Whoever ended up with this giant heirloom would make worldwide headlines, like when the city of Long Beach bought the Queen Mary. Obviously, this was dominant in the thinking of Mr. McCulloch. He was Lee Shoblom in front of the London in the fourth year of building and sellBridge. Photo courtesy Bill Graves. ing Lake Havasu City, which was to be the greatest marketing airlift in history. 10,276 of them — in precisely the order in which they McCulloch operated a fly-in airline. Between 1964 stood in England for nearly a century and half. Then in and 1978, 2,702 flights from all sections of the U.S. and 1971, the sand beneath the bridge span was scooped up Canada brought in 137,000 “see-before-you-buy” and trucked away and the peninsula was cut loose from prospects to Lake Havasu City. the rest of Arizona. A mile-long channel created a new Still considered cowboy and Indian country by many, island in the lake and London Bridge again took on the Arizona’s desolate desert was an unbelievable contrast business of being a bridge. with the Thames of London, as dissimilar sites as this “The bridge was dedicated the first time by King planet has to offer. To uproot this celebrated bridge, used William the sixth in 1831. When it was Bob for over a century by Europe’s aristocracy and royalty, McCulloch’s turn here in 1971, I think he wanted to out and make it a horse trail for the likes of Wyatt Earp and do the party the King threw. He brought in gourmet Geronimo, gave the story a satirical life of its own. chefs from Beverly Hills to feed his 800 guests, includNewspaper datelines soon shifted from London to Lake ing a large contingent from London, lead by the Lord Havasu City. It was a news story with worldwide appeal, Mayor.” an unreal happening that could only be happening in Lee Shoblom and I were with a group having lunch at America. Shugrue’s Restaurant, which overlooks the bridge and Arizona is not thought of as having a great river, at the touristy English Village at the foot of it. Lee, 65 now, least with the repute of the Thames. But it does. The came here in 1967 to start a radio station. He was the mighty Colorado runs down its western edge, forming its only broadcaster here for 20 years. border with California after exiting the Grand Canyon. “Lake Havasu City was young then with 8,000 resiThe fabled bridge, however, was not going to span the Colorado, or any other river for that matter. It would be unceremoniously resurrected on In 1970s this Lockheed Constellation flew prospective dry land –- what’s dryer than desert sand — homebuyers to Lake Havasu City. Photo courtesy at the base of a peninsula that juts into Lake RuthAS and Wikimedia Commons. Havasu. Created in 1938, the lake is a newcomer to the geography of the river. And Lake Havasu City was so new then it was still a novelty. Seeing this Old World artifact rising erect and proper from parched desert, its granite blocks blackened with coal dust mixed with London fog, must have been like seeing the Queen Mother at a rock concert. Anyway, 22-million pounds of coded granite blocks were moved a quarter of the way around the world and reassembled -– all Byways • 25
Parker Dam, built on the Colorado River, formed Lake Havasu on the Arizona-California border. Photo courtesy U.S. Bureau of Reclamation.
dents,” Lee continued. “Believe me, every last one of Parker Dam is the world’s deepest dam. Construction them got into the spirit of the day –- actually it lasted workers had to dig down 235 feet through sand and gravthree days. There was a party tent on the bridge, huge el of the riverbed before hitting the bedrock needed to thing. It was lined with satin and had crystal chandeliers secure the foundation. Today, only the top third of the that were five feet in diameter. dam is visible. “Recordings of Big Ben chimed every 15 minutes. The 211-billion gallon reservoir it created has become There were security people dressed as English Bobbies. a world-class fishing lake. “They have 35 fishing tourI figured they were guys in costume, maybe even actors. naments here every year, which says something about So I went to record an interview with one and found that what’s out there.” Kenn McKinney was filling me in on they were the real McCoy. McCulloch had imported details of the lake while piloting his 60-passenger jet actual Bobbies from London.” boat up the Topack Gorge. Lee’s AM radio station went on the air in 1970. “Lake “They have a project, mostly volunteers, who work Havasu became known as the consistently hottest city in hard to increase the fish population,” Kenn said. “These the country. When it was 21 below in International Falls, guys have 875 acres of artificial habitats they call crapMinnesota, or someplace, I would call the guys who had pie condos, catfish houses and the bass bungalows. the morning shows there and we would have long, on-the-air discussions about the weather. Likewise, when it was 120 here and 69 there, they would call me.” Lake Havasu was formed almost 70 years ago when a dam was built near Parker, 16 miles south of here. The lake is 45 miles long, three miles wide, covers 25,000 acres and has a 450-mile shoreline. It supplies water to Southern California, where, they tell me, 20 million people drink from this lake at least once every day. Photo courtesy Bill Graves. 26 • Byways
Some are 20 feet high. They place them in strategic coves around the lake where game fish can spawn, rest and hide from predators.” Jet Boat Tours, a family business that Kenn’s parents started, is typical today of what Lake Havasu City is about. Because of the river, this western edge of the state is called the “coast of Arizona”. Twenty miles south of I-40 and 73 miles north of I10, it attracts water enthusiasts from Phoenix and Tucson, as well as the metropolises of Southern California. The lake, with the island McCulloch made, has become exceedingly popular, too popular, creating one of the supreme ironies of the new American West. Lake Havasu City is unique –- truly American, yet barely old enough to vote. It is related only by geography with most towns of the West, those haphazard shantytowns that sprung up around gold strikes, or rows of clapboard shacks built by railroad companies, or those clusters of adobe huts found here in Arizona. It never burned in a fire, only to be rebuilt. It never suffered a hanging, a lynching or a deadly outbreak of cholera. A stage line didn’t run through here, or an emigrant trail. No museum displays the town’s telephone old switchboard, because it never had one. Residents have always had dial phones, dishwashers, frozen dinners, air conditioning and supermarkets. Its founders did not stumble in here in search of gold, a place to lay out a railroad spur, build a fort, escape reliLake Havasu’s London Bridge. Photo courtesy Bill Graves. gious persecution or even to water their cattle. Its maker flew in here from Los Angles in a comfortable airplane looking for a fresh water lake where he could test his new line of outboard motors. So he built a modern city, bought a famous bridge to About the author: After seeing much of the world as a sell the city, and made an island to give the bridge a func- career naval officer, Bill Graves decided, after he retired, to tion. And we came! By the thousands we came to play take a closer look at the United States. He has been roamin the water and on the shores of the island, and to eat ing the country for 20 years, much of it in a motorhome fish and chips in the shadow of the London Bridge. with his dog Rusty. He lives in Rancho Palos Verdes, Now you are up to date, except for the last chapter -– California and is the author of On the Back Roads, the one with the ironic twist. The London Bridge can’t Discovering Small Towns. of America. He can be reached handle us anymore; there are too many of us. They either at Roadscribe@aol.com. have to make the island a peninsula again or build another bridge. Byways • 27
Glen Canyon Dam and Glen Canyon substation in northern Arizona. Photo courtesy Wikimedia Commons. 28 • Byways
Glen Canyon Dam & Lake Powell
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Glen Canyon Dam as seen from downstream. Photos courtesy U.S.Bureau of Reclamation.
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len Canyon Dam, rising 710 feet above bedrock within the steep, rust-colored sandstone walls of Glen Canyon, was constructed to harness the power of the Colorado River in order to provide for the water and power needs of millions of people in the West. Glen Canyon Dam is a concrete arch-gravity dam on the Colorado River in northern Arizona, near the town of Page. It was built by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation from 1956 to 1966 and forms Lake Powell, one of the largest man-made reservoirs in the U.S. with a capacity of 27 million acre feet.
Second Largest Dam in U.S. Glen Canyon Dam is the second highest concrete-arch dam in the United States, second only to Hoover Dam which stands at 726 feet. The 27 million acre-feet of water storage capacity in Lake Powell serves as a ‘bank account’ of water that is drawn on in times of drought. This stored water has made it possible to successfully weather extended dry periods by sustaining the needs of cities, industries, and agriculture throughout the West. Hydroelectric power produced by the dam’s eight generators helps meet the electrical needs of the West’s rapidly growing population. With a total capacity of 1,320 megawatts, Glen Canyon Powerplant produces around 30 • Byways
five billion kilowatt-hours of hydroelectric power annually which is distributed by the Western Area Power Administration to Wyoming, Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada, and Nebraska. The designation of Glen Canyon National Recreation Area in 1972, underscores the value and importance of the recreation benefits associated with Lake Powell and the Colorado River downstream of the dam. The recreation area is managed by the National Park Service.
Colorado River Formed by the waters of the Colorado River behind Glen Canyon Dam, Lake Powell’s 1,960 miles of winding shoreline (when full) and 186 mile-length make it the second-largest reservoir in the United States. Lake Mead, formed by Hoover Dam is the largest. Lake Powell began filling on March 13, 1963 and completed filling on June 22, 1980 reaching elevation 3,700 feet above sea level with a total capacity of over 27 million acre-feet of water. Lake Powell extends through the main corridor of Glen Canyon as well as into over 90 side canyons that extend outward. Named after Major John Wesley Powell who successfully navigated the first expedition down the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon in 1869, Lake Powell
Glen Canyon Dam Power Plant
Lake Powell Byways • 31
Colorado River downstream of Glen Canyon Dam. Photos courtesy U.S.Bureau of Reclamation. 32 • Byways
Aerial view of Lake Powell.
offers visitors spectacular scenery and numerous recreational opportunities. Managed by the National Park service, the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area is visited by over 3 million people each year. Lake Powell provides long-term carryover water storage that allows the Upper Basin states of Wyoming, Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah to use their share of the Colorado River while still providing the required delivery of water to the Lower Basin states of Arizona, California, and Nevada. As drought conditions persist in the Southwest, the water storage in Lake Powell is especially critical. At Glen Canyon Dam, the Carl B. Hayden Visitor Center is located 700 feet above the Colorado River overlooking Glen Canyon Dam and Bridge. The visitor
center provides many interesting exhibits, audio-visual programs, and ranger presentations as well as a gift shop and an educational bookstore. Guided tours of Glen Canyon Dam and Powerplant are provided by the Glen Canyon Conservancy, and begin at the visitor center.
Glen Canyon Dam Visitors Center.
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California’s Shasta Dam
Shasta Dam and Shasta Lake in Northern California. Photo courtesy Wikimedia Commons. Byways • 35
Aerial view of Shasta Dam, Shasta Lake and Mount Shasta. Photo courtesy Robert Campbell and Wikimedia Commons.
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hasta Dam, completed on the Sacramento River in 1945, is breathtaking not only for its great size, but for its majestic setting in the southern range of the Cascades. The 602 foot-high, concrete, curved gravity dam holds back an immense blue reservoir, Shasta Lake, which boasts a 365-mile shoreline nestled amid evergreen hills and the snow-covered volcanic peak of Mount Shasta. Located at the north end of the Sacramento Valley, Shasta Dam created Shasta Lake for long-term water storage, flood control, hydroelectricity and protection against the intrusion of saline water.The largest reservoir in the state, Shasta can hold about 4,500,000 acre feet.
Great Depression Envisioned as early as 1919 as an effort to conserve, control, store, and distribute water to the Central Valley, California’s main agricultural region, Shasta was first authorized in the 1930s as a state undertaking. However, bonds did not sell due to the onset of the Great Depression and Shasta was transferred to the federal Bureau of Reclamation as a public works project. In 1935, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt authorized the Central Valley Project as part of the New Deal. The construction works at Shasta Dam and other parts of the project would provide thousands of much-needed 36 • Byways
jobs, contributing a major portion of the Depression era federal job-creation programs. Roosevelt first considered the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for building the project, but ultimately transferred it to the Reclamation Service, the precursor to the Bureau of Reclamation, which had expertise in building large concrete dams as demonstrated in the Hoover Dam (Boulder Canyon) Project several years earlier. Reclamation chose Frank Crowe, the superintendent of Hoover Dam construction, to direct operations at Shasta Dam
Construction Construction started in earnest in 1937. It was finished twenty-six months ahead of schedule in 1945. When completed, the dam was the second-tallest in the United States after Hoover, and was considered one of the greatest engineering feats of all time. Even before its dedication, Shasta Dam served an important role in World War II providing electricity to California factories, and still plays a vital part in the management of state water resources today. The groundbreaking and official naming ceremony of Shasta Dam occurred on September 12, 1937 in the small town of Kennett shortly upstream of the dam. Congress initially approved $12 million for the project. Within five years Kennett would be submerged under the
rising waters of Shasta Lake. The dam was initially known as Kennett Dam, but was eventually named after nearby Mount Shasta. After surveying several nearby sites, the Bureau of Reclamation chose to build the dam in a 1,000-foot deep canyon about a mile above the abandoned smelter town of Coram and two-and-a-half miles below Kennett. The dam was planned to be over 800 feet high. To supply sand and gravel to make concrete at the construction site, the dam’s contractor Pacific Constructors built the largest conveyor belt system in the world, 9.5 miles long, that reached from Redding to the dam site. This was capable of transporting 1,100 tons of material per hour, and over the entire construction process, hauled more than 12 million tons of rock. As the foundations were completed, concrete placement of the main dam body could begin. For this purpose, a system of steel cable towers was erected to carry the steel concrete-pouring buckets. Building of the dam’s main concrete structure started in July 1940 after the cable systems had been completed and the mixing plant came on line. Steel buckets capable of carrying 8 cubic yards of concrete, weighing 16 tons when full, traveled back and forth along the lines. For three years, thousands of men labored building the dam’s massive abutments, pouring concrete into large modular “blocks” 50 feet square and 5 feet deep.
Power Station. Photo courtesy of U.S. Bureau of Reclamation.
World War II In December 1941, the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, prompting the United States to join into World War II. With thousands of men enlisting in the armed forces, the Shasta Dam site soon had a severe labor shortage. During the war years, many of the people who worked at the dam were women and high school students on mostly non-hazardous jobs. The strained supplies and labor during the war years
Shasta Dam under construction in 1942. Photo courtesy Russell Lee and Wikimedia Commons.
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deo i V r o f Click
View from above Shasta Dam. Photo courtesy U.S. Bureau of Reclamation. 38 • Byways
forced Reclamation to cut the final height of the dam from 800 feet to 602 feet. When Shasta was completed, it was the second highest dam in the world — surpassed only by Hoover Dam on the Colorado — as well as the highest man-made structure in California. It was also the second most massive concrete dam measured by volume, exceeded only by Grand Coulee Dam on the Columbia River in Washington. The dam forms the lake, which is the largest manmade lake in California with its capacity of 4,552,000 acre feet lake, extending for 15.3 miles up the Sacramento River and branching for more than 21 miles up the Pit River, which is the largest river flowing into the lake. There have been proposals to raise the dam closer to its original projected height. Feasibility studies have been undertaken to enlarge the existing Shasta Reservoir as a part of the Shasta Lake Water Resources Investigation. Enlarging the reservoir would improve water supply reliability, reduce flood damages, and improve water temperatures in the Sacramento River below the dam for anadromous fish survival.
The lake has a surface of 30,310 acres at full pool and is surrounded by the Shasta-Trinity National Forest. Many public and private marinas, campgrounds, RV parks, resorts and boat launches border the reservoir, one of the most popular recreational lakes in California. Houseboating is popular here. Where else can you kick back with a cocktail on the deck of your floating vacation home and drink in views of Mt. Shasta’s perennially snowcapped, 14,180-foot peak. In addition to houseboating, water-skiing, swimming and fishing are among the numerous activities available at the lake; hiking, picnicking, mountain biking, hunting and camping are popular in the mountainous vicinity surrounding Lake Shasta.
Shasta Dam Tours
The Bureau of Reclamation holds free guided tours of the Shasta Dam year round, each taking two to three hours. There also are a visitor center and auditorium. The tours comprise a 428-foot elevator ride to the base of the dam, and visits to the dam’s inner galleries and the powerhouse among other areas. Tours are conducted 7 days a week at: 9am, 11am., 1 pm, and 3pm. Tours leave promptly, so plan on arriving at least 30 minutes early to allow enough time to walk Shasta Lake out on the dam where the tour starts. Shasta Lake is second in size in California only to Group tours are available for civic organizations, Lake Tahoe, with 370 miles of shoreline. It holds enough schools, and tour groups. For information and schedulwater when full to provide some 5,000 gallons to every ing call 530-247-8555. person in the United States. Shasta Lake Recreation Area. Photo courtesy Captain Budd Christman and Wikimedia Commons.
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Empire State Building Completes 80th Floor Visitor Renovation
80th Floor of the Empire State Building. Photos courtesy Evan Joseph Images.
T
he Empire State Building Observatory (ESBO) atop The World’s Most Famous Building has completed the redevelopment of its 80th floor. The final component of the four-year, $165 million project to reimagine the ESBO adds engaging and informative exhibits to orient visitors on their visit to New York City and showcases the building’s unique place at the center of it all. New on the 80th floor is an exclusive, interactive partnership with NYC & Company, the official marketing, tourism and partnership bureau for New York City, with five interactive video blades which allow visitors to utilize NYC & Company’s expertise to design itineraries for their visit using a massive inventory of destinations in all five boroughs. The itineraries automatically download to a visitor’s phone with the use of a QR Code reader or can be sent via e-mail. Designed in response to research that showed ESBO is many visitors’ first destination, this service is a boon to all tourists and New York City residents. Interactive, augmented reality scenes from New York City, housed inside classic binoculars, bring visitors directly to the sights and sounds of popular destinations. Other exhibits include videos of ESB’s famous light shows with interviews with Marc Brickman, the lighting artist who brings them to life, user-generated content, and famous British memory artist Steven Wiltshire’s monumental skyline of New York City. “What began with the new Observatory entrance opening in August 2018 is now as we intended, a fully 40 • Byways
g n i n e p p a H s ’ t a h W
educational and immersive journey which connects visitors from around the world to their emotional connections to the World’s Most Famous Building and helps them design their entire visit to New York City from the center of it all,” said Anthony E. Malkin, Chairman and CEO of Empire State Realty Trust. “At 88 years young, the Empire State Building remains the icon of innovation, aspirations, and dreams, and is the vibrant ancestor of all tall buildings around the world,” he added. To celebrate the unveiling, the Empire State Building has announced the premiere of a new video starring Tony, Grammy, Emmy, and Pulitzer-Prize winning com-
poser, lyricist, and actor Lin-Manuel Miranda. Soaring 1,454 feet above Midtown Manhattan (from base to antenna top), the Empire State Building, owned by Empire State Realty Trust, Inc., is the World’s Most Famous Building. The Empire State Building was named the world’s most popular travel destination in a study conducted by Uber and was named America’s favorite building in a poll conducted by the American Institute of Architects. For more information on the Empire State Building, please visit : https://www.esbnyc.com
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Byways is published bi-monthly by Byways, Inc. and distributed electronically throughout North America. Byways is emailed to more than 4000 tour operators /Travel Trade. Subscriptions are complimentary. An iPad & iPhone version is available for consumers in iTunes in the App Store. An Android browser version is available at www.issuu.com/byways. Byways’ distribution includes motorcoach companies, tour operators, selected travel agents, bank travel managers, school band and athletic planners, meeting planners and the travel trade. For advertising rates, editorial deadlines, or to place advertising insertions, contact: Byways Magazine at 502-785-4875. ©Copyright 2019 by Byways, Inc. All rights reserved. No portion of this publication may be duplicated in any form without express written permission of the publisher. Editor and Publisher Stephen M. Kirchner
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