Featuring North America’s Leading Travel Destinations
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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. 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. During World War II, the bridge was a vital link for war freight traffic, guarded around the clock by United States Army soldiers. At its peak, nearly 3,500 train cars 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. In 2010, the Walkway corporation conveyed the entire structure to the New York State Bridge Authority.
Trail on the Highland side, making it part of a 30-mile continuous trail stretching from Hopewell Junction to the hamlet of Highland. There are restrooms located at the ends of the walkway. Pets are permitted. Bicycles and roller blades (but not skateboards) are permitted, and the walkway is flat and relatively wheelchair-friendly. A new glassed-in elevator opened in 2019, that takes visitors to the Poughkeepsie waterfront area. 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 the eastern end of the park was dedicated and opened to the public. The 1,800 square-foot facility features restrooms, bike racks, tourist information, an outdoor patio with benches and a water fountain for dogs. For more information, visit: https://walkway.org
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 Sponsored Content
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Preview
By Stephen Kirchner, Editor & Publisher
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elcome to Byways Dams and Bridges issue. This year we visit six new locations we have not featured before.
35 people lost their lives when multiple vehicles, including a Greyhound bus, plunged into Tampa Bay. Ensuring the safety of the new bridge was a top priority.
When we started covering dams and bridges, we thought we would run out of unique locations after a couple of years. But this has not been the case. It seems when we start looking for new and interesting subjects, they just keep turning up.
You might not have heard of Montana’s Fort Peck Dam. And it’s only 250 tall, one of the lowest dam’s we featured. But at over 21,000 feet in length and with a base width of 3,500 feet, Fort Peck is the largest hydraulically filled dam in the world.
This year we start with the George Washington Bridge which spans the Hudson River connecting New Jersey to Manhattan in New York City. When it opened, it was the largest suspension bridge in the world. Its record was broken by the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco when it was completed in 1937. Today, the George Washington Bridge is the world’s busiest motor vehicle bridge, carrying over 105 million vehicles annually. When we think of Niagara Falls, we generally think of tourism. Rarely do we think of hydroelectric power. But when it opened in 1961, the Niagara Hydroelectric Power Station was the largest hydropower facility in the western world. Today, Niagara is the biggest electricity producer in New York State. Florida’s Sunshine Bridge often looks like a group of billowing sails over Tampa Bay. The bridge is a whopping 21,877 feet long, and is the longest cable stayed concrete bridge in the world. The current Sunshine Skyway opened in 1987 and is the second bridge of that name on the site. The original bridge opened in 1954 and was the site of two major maritime disasters within a few months in 1980. In May 1980, the freighter MV Summit Venture collided with a bridge support during a sudden squall. Byways 4
The dam spans across the Missouri River from bluff to bluff covering 3.5 miles. Idaho’s Dworshak Dam is another new name we are just learning about. With a height of 717 feet, Dworshak is the third tallest dam in the United States and the tallest straight-axis concrete dam in the Western Hemisphere. Located on the North Fork of the Clearwater River, The dam impounds the Dworshak Reservoir for flood control and hydroelectricity generation. More than 110 years old, Arizona’s Theodore Roosevelt Dam has an impressive history. More than a beautiful site, Roosevelt Dam helped early settlers tame the wild and unpredictable waters of the Salt River and allowed the prosperous community of Phoenix to flourish. Bill Graves says it was during the early years of the Great Depression. The Bagnell dam took 18 months to build and was the major construction project in the United States at that time. The result – Lake of the Ozarks, Missouri. In What’s Happening, the Legoland® California, located 30 minutes north of San Diego, offers more than 60 rides, shows and attractions, all aimed at kids ages 2-12. We hope you enjoy this issue of Byways.
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Volume 38, Issue No. 6 2021 On the Cover. The George Washington Bridge over the Hudson River connects New Jersey and Manhattan . Photo courtesy Rutukesh Gavas on Unsplash. For more on Dams and Bridges, turn to page 8.
Features New York’s George Washington Bridge ................................................................................................ 8 Niagara’s Hydroelectric Power Station ................................................................................................ 16 Tampa’s Skyway Bridge ...................................................................................................................... 22 Bagnell Dam, Lake of the Ozarks........................................................................................................ 28 Montana’s Fort Peck Dam ................................................................................................................... 30 Idaho’s Dworshak Dam ....................................................................................................................... 36 Arizona’s Theodore Roosevelt Dam, Lake & Bridge ........................................................................... 42
Departments Byways Instant Connect ........................................................................................................................ 5 Byways Preview .................................................................................................................................... 4 Traveling the Highways & Byways with Bill Graves............................................................................. 28 Advertiser/Sponsored Content Index .................................................................................................. 53
What’s Happening Legoland® California Resort ............................................................................................................... 48
Coming in Future Issues Future issues of Byways will feature . . .Mountains & Valleys, Ocean Views, Rivers & Lakes and more. . . .
Up Next: Great American Railroads At right. A Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad train idles at the northern end of the line near Rockside Road in Independence, Ohio. Photo courtesy Tim Evanson and Creative Commons CC BY-SA 2.0.
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he George Washington Bridge is a doubledecked suspension bridge spanning the Hudson River, connecting the New York City borough of Manhattan with the New Jersey borough of Fort Lee.
Gate Bridge in San Francisco when it was completed in 1937.
The 4,760 foot long, 604 foot tall bridge spans the Hudson River from western Manhattan into Fort Lee in eastern New Jersey. Twice as long as any previous suspension bridge, it was the marvel of its time.
The bridge is named after George Washington, the first president of the United States. Today, the George
When it opened, it was the largest suspension bridge in the world. Its record was broken by the Golden Byways 10
York and New Jersey, a bi-state government agency that operates infrastructure in the Port of New York and New Jersey. The bridge sits near the sites of Fort Washington (in New York) and Fort Lee (in New Jersey), which were fortified positions used by General George Washington and his American forces as they attempted to deter the occupation of New York City in 1776 during the American Revolutionary War. Unsuccessful, Washington evacuated Manhattan by crossing between the two forts.
History The idea of a bridge across the Hudson River was first proposed in 1906, but it was not until 1925 that the state legislatures of New York and New Jersey voted to allow for the planning and construction of such a bridge. Construction on the George Washington Bridge started in October 1927.
Washington Bridge is the world’s busiest motor vehicle bridge, carrying over 105 million vehicles annually. This is an average of nearly 290,000 vehicles every day. The one way toll into New York City is $16.00 for autos, but there is no toll for the return trip to New Jersey. EZ passes reduce these fares for commuters. You can cross the bridge for free, however. Just walk or use a bicycle on the top deck! The bridge is owned by the Port Authority of New Byways 11
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The original structure was built (1927–31) by the Swiss-born engineer Othmar H. Ammann according to the modified designs of architect Cass Gilbert. It was constructed to carry eight lanes of traffic. A lower deck with six more traffic lanes was added in 1958–62, along with a modernistic bus terminal on the Manhattan side. The George Washington Bridge was dedicated on October 24, 1931, eight months ahead of schedule. The opening ceremony, attended by 30,000 guests, was accompanied by a show from military airplanes, as well as speeches from politicians including New Jersey governor Morgan Foster Larson and New York governor Franklin D. Roosevelt. The opening of the George Washington Bridge contributed to the development of Bergen County, New Jersey, in which Fort Lee is located. The upper Byways 14
deck was widened from six to eight lanes in 1946. The six-lane lower deck was constructed beneath the existing span from 1958 to 1962 because of increasing traffic flow.
Key Travel Corridor The George Washington Bridge is an important travel corridor within the New York metropolitan area. It has an upper level that carries four lanes in each direction and a lower level with three lanes in each direction, for a total of 14 lanes of travel. The speed limit on the bridge is 45 mph. The bridge’s upper level also carries pedestrian and bicycle traffic. Interstate 95 and U.S. Route 1/9 (composed of U.S. 1 and U.S. 9) cross the river via the bridge.
The New Jersey Turnpike (part of I-95) and U.S. Route 46, which lie entirely within New Jersey, terminate halfway across the bridge at the state border with New York. At its eastern terminus in New York City, the bridge continues onto the TransManhattan Expressway (part of I-95, connecting to the Cross Bronx Expressway).
Largest American Flag Since 1947, the bridge has flown the world’s largest free-flying American flag, measuring at 90 feet long, 60 feet wide, and 450 pounds. Until 1976, the flag was taken out of a garage in New Jersey and manually erected on national holidays. During the United States’ bicentennial, a mechanical hoisting system was installed, and the flag was stored along the bridge’s girders when not in use.
Independence Day, Labor Day, Columbus Day, and Veterans Day.
It is hoisted on special occasions when weather allows, and appears on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Presidents Day, Memorial Day, Flag Day,
Since 2006, the flag is also flown on September 11 of each year, honoring those lost in the September 11 attacks.
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hen it opened in 1961, the Niagara project was the largest hydropower facility in the western world. Today, Niagara is the biggest electricity producer in New York State, generating enough power to light 24 million 100-watt bulbs at once. Named the Robert Moses Niagara Hydroelectric Power Station, it is located in Lewiston, New York, near Niagara Falls. Owned and operated by the New York Power Authority (NYPA), the plant diverts water from the Niagara River above Niagara Falls and returns the water into the lower portion of the river near Lake Ontario. It uses 13 generators at an installed capacity of 2,525 MW (3,386,000 hp). Named for New York city planner Robert Moses, the plant was built to replace power production after the Schoellkopf Power Station, a nearby hydroelectric plant, collapsed in 1956. It stands across the river Byways 18
from Sir Adam Beck Hydroelectric Power Stations in Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada.
Niagara Falls Energy The enormous energy of Niagara Falls has long been recognized as a potential source of power. The first known effort to harness the waters was in 1750, when Daniel Joncaire built a small canal above the falls to power his sawmill. Augustus and Peter Porter purchased this area and all of American Falls in 1805 from the New York state government, and enlarged the original canal to provide hydraulic power for their gristmill and tannery. In 1853, the Niagara Falls Hydraulic Power and Mining Company was chartered, which eventually constructed the canals that would be used to generate electricity. In 1881, under the leadership of Jacob F. Schoellkopf, the Niagara River’s first hydroelectric generating station was built. The water fell 86 feet and generated
direct current electricity, which ran the machinery of local mills and lit some of the village streets. Through the years other hydropower plants were being built along the Niagara River. But in 1956, disaster struck when the region’s largest hydropower station was partially destroyed in a landslide. This drastically reduced power production and put tens of thousands of manufacturing jobs at stake. In 1957, Congress passed the Niagara Redevelopment Act, which granted the New York Power Authority the right to fully develop the United States’ share of the Niagara River’s hydroelectric potential. In 1961, when the Niagara Falls hydroelectric project went online, it was the largest hydropower facility in the western world. Up to 380,000 gallons of water per second is diverted from the Niagara River through conduits under the city of Niagara Falls to the Lewiston and Robert Moses power plants.
Currently between 50% and 75% of the Niagara River’s flow is diverted via four huge tunnels that arise far upstream from the waterfalls. The water then passes through hydroelectric turbines that supply power to nearby areas of Canada and the United States before returning to the river well past the falls. When electrical demand is low, the Lewiston units can operate as pumps to transport water from the lower bay back up to the plant’s reservoir, allowing this water to be used again during the daytime when electricity use peaks. During peak electrical demand, the same Lewiston pumps are reversed and become generators. The pump-generating plant in the Lewiston Dam is atypical, in that the dam was constructed not to control the flow of water in a natural river, but to contain a man-made 1,900-acre, 22-billion gallon upper reservoir (named the Lewiston Reservoir)
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which stores the water before its release into the forebay of the Robert Moses Power Station. Water enters the forebay by tunnels from the Niagara River controlled by the International Control Dam upstream of the natural falls. Water in the forebay is then pumped up into the upper reservoir or immediately sent down over the escarpment downstream of the natural falls into the Robert Moses Power Station turbines. Byways 20
Tourism To preserve Niagara Falls’ natural beauty, a 1950 treaty signed by the U.S. and Canada limited water usage by the power plants. The treaty allows higher summertime diversion at night when tourists are fewer and during the winter months when there are even fewer visitors. The Niagara Power Visitors Center is adjacent to the Robert Moses plant, with an observation deck along Niagara Gorge. The Center features interactive
exhibits about hydroelectricity and its history in the Niagara Frontier. Admission is free.
Niagara Gorge Niagara Gorge is an 6.8 mile-long canyon carved by the Niagara River along the Canada–United States border, between the U.S. state of New York and the Canadian province of Ontario. It begins at the base of Niagara Falls and ends
downriver at the edge of the geological formation known as the Niagara Escarpment near Queenston, Ontario. The force of the river current in the gorge is one of the most powerful in the world. Visitors can traverse the rapids of the Niagara Gorge on commercial tours in rugged jet boats, which are based at Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, at Lewiston, New York, at Youngstown, New York, and in midsummer at Niagara Glen Nature Centre on the Niagara Parkway in Ontario. Byways 21
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rom a distance, the Sunshine Skyway Bridge looks like a group of billowing sails over Tampa Bay, Florida. The bridge is a whopping 21,877 feet long. It is the longest cable-stayed concrete bridge in the world. Opened in April 1987, the Sunshine Skyway Bridge was built at a cost of $244 million in place of an older bridge that was partially destroyed in 1980. An estimated 59,000 vehicles use the bridge, which is operated by the Florida Department of Transportation, every day. The Bob Graham Sunshine Skyway Bridge, often referred to as the Sunshine Skyway Bridge or simply the Skyway, is a cable-stayed bridge spanning the Lower Tampa Bay connecting St. Petersburg, Florida to Terra Ceia. The current Sunshine Skyway is the second bridge of that name on the site. The four-lane bridge carries Interstate 275 and U.S. Route 19, passing through Pinellas County, Hillsborough County, and Manatee County. Byways 24
Maritime Disasters The original bridge opened in 1954 and was the site of two major maritime disasters within a few months in 1980. In January 1980, the United States Coast Guard Cutter Blackthorn collided with the tanker Capricorn near the bridge, resulting in the sinking of the cutter and the loss of 23 crew members. In May 1980, the freighter MV Summit Venture collided with a bridge support during a sudden squall, resulting in the structural collapse of the southbound span and the deaths of 35 people when multiple vehicles, including a Greyhound bus, plunged into Tampa Bay. The collision destroyed most of the bridge. Following the accident, replacement or repair of the bridge was contemplated. Within a few years, the damaged span was demolished, the surviving span was partially demolished and converted into a long fishing pier, and the current bridge was built. Following the accident in 1980, ensuring the safety of the new bridge was a top priority. The shipping
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channel of the bridge was increased by 50% to ensure safety, while six dolphins, which are designed to withstand the impact of an 87,000 ton ship surrounding the bridge’s piers, were built to protect it. The bridge was painted bright yellow to represent the sunshine state of Florida. The former and current bridge have been featured in various forms of media. The original Sunshine
Skyway Bridge is featured in Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar and the opening credits to Superboy. The current bridge has provided the setting for several films such as Loren Cass and The Punisher. The bridge also served as plot devices to various novels such as Dennis Lehane’s 1997 novel Sacred and Ben Bova’s 2005 novel Powersat. The bridge is also the subject of the song Skyway Avenue by We the Kings. The United States Postal Service featured the bridge in 2012 on a Priority Mail postage stamp. Carl T. Hermann worked on the painting and the digital illustration was created by artist Dan Cosgrove. In 2005, an act of the Florida Legislature officially named the current bridge the Bob Graham Sunshine Skyway Bridge, after the former Governor of Florida and then U.S. Senator who presided over its design and most of its construction.
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Traveling the Highways & Byways with Bill Graves Lake of the Ozarks, Missouri T he Union Electric Company knew going in that when they dammed the Osage River it would flood 86 square miles in four counties and wipe out five towns.
So they bought the land the towns were on and moved the towns to high ground – houses, stores, churches, cemeteries, everything. They also cleared 30,000 acres of trees to make way for what was to be the Lake of the Ozarks – at the time, the largest man-made lake in the world. That was during the early years of the Great Depression, 1930 and 31. The dam took 18 months to build and was the major construction project in our country at that time. It brought 20,500 eager workers from all over the country to central Missouri. Pay was as low as 35 cents an hour, but in those days, five dollars worth of groceries would fill your car.
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It was a mammoth project. A million cubic yards of dirt and rock were moved, most of it by hand. Enough concrete was poured to build a two-lane highway from St. Louis to Topeka – a distance of 300 miles. Bagnell Dam is the largest and the last major dam in the U.S. to be built with private money. It’s a halfmile long, rising 148 feet from bedrock. That’s comparable to a building 12 stories high and seven blocks long. The dam builders may have figured – remember this was 1930 – that they were creating a lake that would be rural and remote and, for the most part, would stay that way. After all, Kansas City is 150 miles away and St. Louis is even farther, traveling then in cars and on roads that were vintage the 1920s. But with 1,150 miles of build-able shoreline (more miles than the coastline of California), this 54,000acre lake was not to stay remote for long.
So much for history: Let’s jump to now, and my first visit to Lake of the Ozarks. Approaching from the south on Highway 54, I pulled off to visit Ha Ha Tonka State Park. I suppose most people come here to see the ruins of an early-1900s castle and estate, the shattered remnants of one man’s dream. But what I found fascinating were the remnants of a colossal cavern system – sinkholes, caves, large springs and natural bridges. Geologists call it “karst” topography – an area of irregular limestone where erosion has taken place. Missouri has 5,400 mapped caves. One of the oldest, called Bridal Cave, is 10 miles west of Ha Ha Tonka. Some 46 million years old, it is said to be the site of an Indian wedding ceremony. Of course, private enterprise and young love have picked up on that. Over 1,900 couples have been married in its stalactite-adorned chapel. Two wedding packages are offered at Bridal Cave, both include a free bottle of sparkling cider and a lifetime pass to the cave. I continued north up 54, through Camdenton, across the Grand Glaize Bridge, into Osage Beach. Now an arm of the lake, Grand Glaize was once a river that fed into the Osage. Why was I surprised to see along here a 61-acre outlet mall, an enormous HyVee, a new Home Depot and not one but three Super Walmarts? I don’t know what I was expecting, but Lake of the Ozarks is not just for tourists; it’s home to some 80,000 people. Still the business here is definitely tourism: With 17 golf courses, a spectacular lake surrounded by 250 lodging facilities and 100 marinas, it is a premier vacation and meeting destination for all of midAmerica. I was told that the Walmart in Osage Beach sells more beer than any other Walmart superstore, of which there are 1,713 in the U.S. Boats, beer and fun seem to go together and people do come here to have fun.
tow a boat. Every summer they come here, move into a room at the resort, dogs and all. After a few of days of boating, they go off for a couple weeks of motor homing, leaving the boat here. They never seem to run out of shows to see in Branson, which is 125 miles south. The next day I took a lake tour onboard a 750-foot boat of Tropic Island Cruises. Jerry Boak is the skipper and his wife Deborah runs the drink bar on board. They do this in the summer, a couple hours everyday. Their winters are spent in Florida. They describe themselves as corporate dropouts. “I had a good career as an engineer with McDonnell Douglas in St. Louis,” Jerry said. “But we got hooked on the RV lifestyle.” Standing at the helm, steering a course keeping us about 150 feet off shore, Jerry explained that Lake of the Ozarks is a private lake, not operated by the Corp of Engineers as is the case with other lakes in the state. “We can do things here like build docks, seawalls and marinas and develop waterfront property without the restrictions you have elsewhere,” Jerry said. “People take pride in their property and in keeping the lake as unspoiled as possible. I don’t know of any place like it.”
The epitome of this perhaps is “party cove,” a place where the hardcore party-boaters head for on weekends. There they throw out anchors, tie their boats together and don’t untie them until late Sunday. Clothes are optional and anything goes. It is not a place or an activity you will find in travel brochures.
About the author: After seeing much of the world as a career naval officer, Bill Graves decided, after he retired, to take a closer look at the United States. He has been roaming the country for 20 years, much of it in a motorhome with his dog Rusty. He lives in Rancho Palos Verdes, California and is the author of On the Back Roads, Discovering Small Towns of America.
I pulled into the Resort at Port Arrowhead, as I was to meet a family here. They travel in a motorhome and
He can be reached at Roadscribe@aol.com. Byways 29
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orget the concrete and don’t worry about the height. At just 250 feet tall, the impressiveness of the Missouri River’s highest dam comes in its breadth. At over 21,000 feet in length and with a base width of 3,500 feet, Fort Peck is the largest hydraulically filled dam in the world.
Its five turbines can generate 185,250 kilowatts of power. In addition to power generation, the dam’s original purpose was not only to control floods but to create jobs in the Depression-saddled economy.
It created Fort Peck Lake, the fifth largest artificial lake in the U.S., more than 130 miles long, 200 feet deep, and it has a 1,520-mile shoreline which is longer than the state of California’s coastline.
When President Franklin D. Roosevelt authorized the Fort Peck project in 1933, thousands of people from all over the country migrated to Montana during the midst of the Great Depression in hopes of earning a living.
The dam spans across the Missouri River from bluff to bluff covering 3.5 miles. The Missouri River is the longest tributary of the Mississippi River and second longest river in North America. It is formed by the confluence of the Jefferson, Madison, and Gallatin rivers in the Rocky Mountains area of southwestern Montana.
More than 7,000 men and women signed on to work on the dam in 1934 and 1935. Employment peaked at nearly 11,000 dam workers in 1936, and thousands more swarmed to Montana to set up businesses including food markets, hardware stores, butcher shops, general stores, saloons and brothels.
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers crews created the New Deal-era dam by pumping sediment from the bottom of the Missouri River and mixing it with rock and natural materials to form the dam in 1940. Fort Peck Lake rests behind the dam, and hydroelectric generation started in 1943, complete with an Art Deco spillway. It can pump out a staggering 250,000 cubic feet of water per second. Byways 32
New Deal
More than eighteen boomtowns sprang up in the vicinity, and the “wild west” was reborn as a tiny and obscure township swelled from a population of a few hundred to nearly 40,000 people. In 1933, the undertaking was the nation’s largest public works project. Fort Peck was a major project of the Public Works Administration, part of the New Deal. The town of
Fort Peck, “the government town”, was built for Army Corps of Engineers personnel and men in “positions of responsibility” and their families during the dam’s construction. Many of the facilities that supported the dam’s workers are still used today, such as the recreation center and the Fort Peck Theater. In addition to Fort Peck, other towns sprang up to house the workers. Among these were Wheeler and McCone City as well as more than a dozen others.
surrounding area awed the renowned explorers.
Fort Peck Dam was the first dam built in the upper Missouri River Basin. The area surrounding Fort Peck was first charted by Lewis and Clark in 1804, and the pristine natural condition of the river and
Today, Fort Peck Dam is one of six Missouri River main stem dams operated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Omaha District. The dams downstream of Fort Peck Dam are: Garrison Dam (near Riverdale,
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North Dakota), Oahe Dam (near Pierre, South Dakota), Big Bend Dam (near Fort Thompson, South Dakota), Fort Randall Dam (near Pickstown, South Dakota), and Gavins Point Dam (near Yankton, South Dakota).
Fort Peck Power Plant Museum The Fort Peck Power Plant Museum is located in the lobby of Power Plant #1 on Lower Yellowstone Road, 2 miles northeast of Fort Peck, Montana. The museum recalls the history of the construction of the dam and power plants. There is a display of fossils collected from the area including a Triceratops skull. Free guided tours are given everyday from Memorial Day – September 30 through the power plants. Everyone must sign-in at the Fort Peck Interpretive Center before going on a tour. All adults will need a photo ID. The Fort Peck Dam Interpretive Center and Museum is a partnership between the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. The facility showcases northeast Montana and features the two largest aquariums in Montana displaying the fish of Fort Peck Lake and the Missouri River. Byways 34
Visitors entering the main lobby are greeted by a life size, fleshed-out model of Peck’s Rex, the Tyrannosaurus Rex discovered 20 miles southeast of Fort Peck in 1997. A skeleton cast of Peck’s Rex is also on display in the exhibit hall along with several other regional paleontology displays including a Cretaceous Sea display. Other exhibits include the wildlife, habitats, and scenery of the Charles M. Russell National Wildlife Refuge and Fort Peck Lake, and the construction history of Fort Peck Dam.
The vast size of Fort Peck Lake and its remoteness from major population centers provide a variety of high quality outdoor experiences. Popular recreation activities include camping, boating, fishing, hunting, sight-seeing, picnicking, biking, hiking, photography, watching wildlife and just relaxing.
Recreation Fort Peck Lake is a Montana treasure for its size and outdoor opportunities. Six recreation areas within a few miles of the dam provide access for water sports, fishing and hunting. The Beaver Creek Nature Trail starts at the campground downstream from the dam and leads through wildlife habitat. A wildlife viewing auto route, the Leo B. Coleman Wildlife Exhibit, takes off from near the Fort Peck Theater. Fifteen hundred miles of pristine shoreline serve as a haven for those wishing to get away from the stresses of modern life. There are 27 recreation areas located around the reservoir. For additional information on Montana, VisitMT.com.
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worshak Dam is a concrete gravity dam in the western United States. With a height of 717 feet, Dworshak is the third tallest dam in the United States and the tallest straight-axis concrete dam in the Western Hemisphere. The dam impounds the Dworshak Reservoir for flood control and hydroelectricity generation. The dam is located on the North Fork of the Clearwater River, about 5 miles from Orofino, Idaho. Dworshak Dam is a flood risk management project and was completed after seven years of construction. Congress authorized the project for flood control, hydropower generation, outdoor recreation, navigation, and fish and wildlife benefits. Since the completion of the dam in 1973, Dworshak Dam has offered and is continually improving the recreational and natural resource benefits. The top of the dam is 44 feet wide at an elevation of 1,613 feet above sea level. The main body of the structure contains approximately 6,500,000 cubic yards of concrete. High water releases are controlled by a set of outlet works with four gates, capable of Byways 38
releasing 40,000 cubic feet per second, and a spillway controlled by two 50.0 ft × 56.4 ft tainter floodgates. The spillway has a capacity of 150,000 cu ft/s at maximum reservoir elevation. The hydroelectric plant located at the base of the dam is a 428-foot long concrete structure and contains one 346,000 horsepower (hp) and two 142,000 hp turbines that power one 220 megawatt (MW) and two 90 MW generators, respectively, for a total capacity of 400 MW. Each winter, the level of Dworshak Reservoir is drawn down an average of 155 feet to prepare for the North Fork’s spring thaw, which once could reach more than 100,000 cu ft/s after a heavy snowmelt. The reservoir is required to maintain a minimum of 700,000 acre-feet of winter flood-storage space, and dam releases are operated so that water levels reach a maximum of 1,570 feet in July. However, annual flood control reservations vary with the amount of snowpack in the 2,440-square-mile drainage basin above the dam.
Flood storage space in Dworshak can be interchanged with other major dams in the Columbia River system, including large Columbia mainstem dams such as Grand Coulee, depending on varying flood control requirements in the Columbia Basin. Whether it is fishing, boating, hiking, horseback riding, ATV riding, mountain biking, geocaching, camping, or wildlife catching your fancy, you can find it all here at Dworshak. Surrounded by lush forested mountains, the 54 mile long reservoir is located in beautiful North Central Idaho.
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Controversy The dam was controversial from the start, because it would block fish migration and its reservoir would flood a large portion of the winter range of elk in the Clearwater River basin. The North Fork of the Clearwater River had an excellent run of steelhead trout and “may have been the finest population of large-size steelhead in the world”. The Dent Bridge, a suspension bridge, was constructed 17 miles upstream of the dam, and the deck truss Grandad Bridge was built 41 miles upstream. The Dent Bridge was built in conjunction with the Dworshak Dam by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers during the early 1970s. The bridge provides local access over the Dworshak Reservoir from Ahsahka to the small community of Elk River. After the dam was completed, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers acquired 5,120 acres of land adjacent to the reservoir (later expanded to 9,100 acres). It has since managed this land for the winter habitat of elk and white-tailed deer. Because Dworshak Dam is too high for a fish ladder to be economically feasible, the Corps of Engineers constructed the Dworshak Byways 40
National Fish Hatchery, at a cost of $21 million to mitigate losses of the North Fork steelhead run caused by Dworshak Dam.
The hatchery is located on the small peninsula of land between the North Fork and the main Clearwater River directly above their confluence. Now operated by the National Fish Hatchery System, the fish hatchery actually went into operation in April 1969, four years before the dam was completed. The hatchery has a capacity of 6,000 adult fish, and releases about 3.4 million juveniles into the river system each year.
Recreation One of the major benefits touted by proponents of the Dworshak Dam was that it would provide recreation and associated economic benefits to local residents. The annual visitation to Dworshak is estimated at between 110,000 and 140,000 people, mostly during the summer high water months. Recreational activities include boating, water-skiing, camping,
fishing, hiking and hunting; six boat ramps lie adjacent to the reservoir. Idaho’s Dworshak State Park is located on Dworshak Reservoir about 3 miles north of the dam. The uppermost arm of the reservoir extends into the Clearwater National Forest. A regional visitor center is located at Dworshak Dam, and tours are available of the dam itself. For more information on the Dam and Reservoir: https://www.nww.usace.army.mil/Missions/ Recreation/Dworshak-Dam-and-Reservoir/ For more information on visiting Idaho: https://visitidaho.org
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bout 100 miles outside of metro Phoenix, a 110-year-old concrete Goliath stands at 357 feet tall and holds back over 1.6 million acrefeet of water at Roosevelt Lake. This awe-inspiring water system infrastructure is known as Theodore Roosevelt Dam, and it has an impressive history. More than a beautiful site, Roosevelt Dam serves an especially important purpose in the Salt River Valley’s water storage and delivery capabilities. It helped early settlers tame the wild and unpredictable waters of the Salt River and allowed a prosperous community to flourish. Serving mainly for irrigation, water supply, and flood control, the dam also has a hydroelectric generating capacity of 36 megawatts. Today, Theodore Roosevelt Dam remains the cornerstone of a water delivery system that is responsible for delivering over half of the Valley’s yearly water supply. Serving as a guardian to the desert’s most precious resource, the dam helps the Byways 44
Phoenix area maintain a reliable water supply and face climate change and drought with certainty.
History Once the world’s tallest masonry dam, this structure is named after President Theodore Roosevelt, who was instrumental in approval of the Federal Reclamation Act of 1902, and who dedicated the original dam in March 1911. One of the original five federal projects authorized on March 14, 1903, under the Newlands Reclamation Act of 1902, Roosevelt Dam was the first major project to be completed under the new federal reclamation program. Theodore Roosevelt Dam is unique in the way it was originally constructed. It was the world’s largest “cyclopean-masonry” dam, a Greco-Roman style of building that uses huge, irregular blocks. The Salt River starts high in the White Mountains as
runoff from snow finding its way to creeks and streams, and eventually to rivers. Early Phoenix farmers were frustrated because the flow of the Salt River was erratic – nothing in summer but flooding at other times throughout the year. The National Reclamation Act provided federal loans for construction of reclamation projects in the West. Salt River Valley settlers formed the Salt River Valley Water Users’ Association in 1903 and pledged their land as collateral for a federal government loan to build the massive water storage and delivery system. Theodore Roosevelt Dam, the first major structure constructed by the Bureau of Reclamation on the Salt River Project, is located about 76 miles northeast of Phoenix and 30 miles northwest of Globe, Arizona. By 1903, Reclamation Service engineers were conducting initial work in preparation for the dam construction. Building the monumental structure across the Salt River in this inaccessible spot posed
enormous challenges. The dam site was linked to the capital city of Phoenix then some 100 miles away by only a few primitive trails through the Salt River
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Canyon. The site was closer to Globe, a mining town of a few thousand residents located 35 miles southeast of the dam site. Reclamation opted for a road between Mesa and the dam, crossing some extremely rugged terrain.
it was originally listed, the National Historic Landmark designation was withdrawn on March 10, 1999.
The dam was originally known as “Salt River Dam #1” and it was not until 1959 that the dam and reservoir were officially named after Theodore Roosevelt.
Roosevelt Lake is a large reservoir formed by Theodore Roosevelt Dam. Located some 2 hours northeast of Phoenix in the Salt River Valley, Theodore Roosevelt is the largest lake or reservoir entirely within the state of Arizona (Lake Mead and Lake Powell are larger but are both located partially within the bordering states of Nevada and Utah respectively).
Reconstruction From 1989 to 1996, the dam was modified by the Bureau of Reclamation. The modification raised the dam 77 feet in elevation and made the dam a concrete-gravity arch dam, increasing its water conservation storage capacity by 20 percent, adding flood control space to the reservoir, and addressing concerns about its safety as well as the safety downstream dams. As a result of the reconstruction, the dam has a completely altered appearance from when it was originally listed as a National Historic Landmark. The original rubble-masonry dam was completely encased in concrete, and the structural height was extended from 280 feet to 357 feet. Since the dam no longer had the integrity of the design, materials, workmanship, feeling, or association that it had when Byways 46
Theodore Roosevelt Lake
Roosevelt Lake is the oldest of the six reservoirs constructed and operated by the Salt River Project. It also has the largest storage capacity of the SRP lakes with the ability to store 1,653,043 acre-feet of water when the conservation limit of Roosevelt Dam is reached. The lake is 22.4 miles long, with a shoreline of 128 miles. It’s the oldest artificial reservoir in the state of Arizona. At the Roosevelt Lake Visitor Center the rear patio presents a spectacular view of the lake. Inside are exhibits, videos and information sheets on all the activities and attractions around the lake. The center
is closed on Christmas, New Year’s and Thanksgiving Day. Find the visitor center at mile 242.8 off HWY 188. Visit the Roosevelt Lake Marina for gear rentals, tours, outdoor activities, boat tours and water sports.
Theodore Roosevelt Bridge The Theodore Roosevelt Lake Bridge is a vehicular bridge traversing Theodore Roosevelt Lake between Gila County and Maricopa County, Arizona. Prior to its completion, traffic on Arizona SR 188 travelled directly on top of the Theodore Roosevelt Lake Dam. The dam was originally designed to accommodate the width of two Ford Model-T automobiles, and had to be later reduced to a single lane road due to increased vehicle widths. The bridge was built to relocate traffic off the top of Roosevelt Dam. It spans 1,080 feet and was painted blue so it would blend in with the lake and sky. In 1995, along with other notable bridges such as the Brooklyn Bridge and Golden Gate Bridge, the bridge was listed by the American Consulting Engineers Council as one of top twelve bridge designs in the United States, and is currently the longest two-lane,
single-span, steel-arch bridge in North America. For more on the Theodore Roosevelt Dam visit: https://home.nps.gov/subjects/ nationalhistoriclandmarks/roosevelt-dam.htm For information on visiting Arizona, go to: https://www.visitarizona.com
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ome play your part at Legoland® California Resort, located just 30 minutes north of San Diego and one hour south of Anaheim. Here, guests are immersed into the creative world of the Lego® brand. The company that became Lego began in 1932 in Billund, Denmark. The founder’s name was Kirk Christiansen, a carpenter. By 1949, Lego was making more than 200 different toys. The company began making its self-locking bricks in 1949. Today, Legoland California is one of nine Legoland Parks in the world. It has more than 60 rides, shows and attractions including, the newest land, The Lego® Movie™ World, where the immersive world of the hit movies come to life. Experience Lego® Ninjago™World where you train with ninja to become masters of the ancient art of Spinjitzu and then demonstrate your Byways 50
ninja skills on the interactive Lego® Ninjago The Ride. This interactive, cutting-edge, technological marvel allows riders to control animated fireballs, lightning, shockwaves and ice.
Inside Legoland, you can enter a world of knights and princesses to conquer the Dragon Coaster. Kids can drive their own cars at Driving School and board a real submarine and discover real sea creatures and lost Lego® treasure on Lego® City: Deep Sea Adventure.
creatures and incorporates LEGO® models into a child’s voyage to the depths of the ocean, featuring play zones, fun facts and quiz trails. Visit the new Sea at Night attraction featuring an amazing bioluminescence display.
Discover more than 30,000 Lego models created out of more than 60 million Lego bricks all throughout the family theme park!
Legoland Water Park features more than seven slides, sandy beaches and the unique Build-A-Raft River plus Pirate Reef and LEGO Legends of Chima Water Park comprising 10 acres of water fun.
Legoland® California Resort includes Legoland® California, Sea Life® Aquarium, Legoland® Water Park, Legoland® Hotel and Legoland® Castle Hotel.
The nation’s first Legoland Hotel features 250 rooms, all themed either as pirate, adventure, kingdom, Lego® Friends and Lego® Ninjago.
All are geared for families with children between the ages of 2 and 12.
North America’s first Legoland Castle Hotel features 250 rooms. The hotel looks like it was built from giant Lego blocks. Visitors can imagine themselves as tiny figures inside a huge lego playset.
At Legoland California, you’ll find more than 60 rides, shows and attractions including the new Lego® City: Deep Sea Adventure submarine ride where guests experience more than 2,000 real sea animals including sharks, rays and tropical fish. Sea Life Aquarium is home to more than 5,000 living
Every room is themed either knights and dragons, magic wizard or royal princess and they are all bursting with Lego enchantment and captivating tales of kingdoms from distant lands.
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For more information, Park and Water Park guidelines, health and safety guidelines, visit: www.legoland.com/california. In addition to Legoland California there are eight other Legoland Parks in the world – Legoland Billund in Denmark, Legoland Windsor outside of London, Legoland Florida, Legoland Deutschland in Germany, Legoland Malaysia, Legoland Dubai, Legoland Japan and Legoland New York.
BrickUniverse
All rooms at both hotels include a children’s sleeping area, bunk beds with a trundle bed, an interactive treasure hunt and a Google Nest that tells bedtime stories. Guests are required to purchase tickets and make hotel bookings online in advance to reserve access for their desired dates to visit. To ensure a safe and healthy experience for its guests, the Resort has implemented safety guidelines.
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Thousands of Lego fans travel to BrickUniverse every year. These Lego fan conventions are held all over the world. In 2022, events are scheduled in the United States in Louisville, KY, Oklahoma City, OK, St. Louis, MO, Rochester, NY, Portland, ME, Raleigh, NC, Charleston, WV, Dayton, OH, and Jacksonville, FL. Additional cities are expected to be announced. Click for dates: https://www.brickuniverse.com Lego, the Lego logo, the Brick and Knob configurations, the Minifigure and Legoland are trademarks of the Lego Group ©2021. The Lego Group, Legoland California Resort and Sea Life are part of the Merlin Entertainments Group. For more information, visit www.Legoland.com
Byways is published bi-monthly by Byways, Inc. and distributed electronically throughout North America. Byways is emailed to more than 5,000 tour operators and Travel Trade. Subscriptions are complimentary. An iPad & iPhone version is available for consumers 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, and
other group tour travel promoters. It is also available to consumers with an interest in North American travel. For advertising rates, editorial deadlines, or to place advertising insertions, contact: Byways Magazine at 502-785-4875. ©Copyright 2022 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 & Publisher Stephen M. Kirchner
Advertising 502-785-4875 Internet
bywaysmagazine.com stephen.kirchner@gmail.com Byways on Facebook Byways on Twitter
Charge Electric Bikes .....................................................................................................................52 Dutchess Tourism, New York .........................................................................................................2-3 Generac Home Standby Generator ...............................................................................................27 LeafFilter .........................................................................................................................................54 Wheeling Tourism, West Virginia..................................................................................................6
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