Shasta Lake: Boomtowns and the Building of the Shasta Dam

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When national newspapers reported in 1938 that a large dam would be built in northern California, hundreds of job-seeking families streamed into Shasta County. Shasta Dam would be America’s last large concrete dam and would take years to build, offering employment for those fortunate enough to secure a construction job during the Great Depression. Captured here in over 200 rare photographs is the story of the building of Shasta Dam, the boomtowns that resulted from its construction, and the residents who made the Shasta Lake region what it is today. America’s master dam builder Frank T. Crowe and his band of dam builders diverted the Sacramento River and began the massive job of excavating millions of yards of dirt and rock. Meanwhile, boomtowns housing dam workers and their families rapidly expanded, developing both commercial and residential zones. Work on the dam was completed in 1945 and the question arose: Would the boomtowns survive? Featuring images from the United States Bureau of Reclamation and the Shasta Lake Historical Society, this new book focuses on both towns that no longer exist and some that still thrive, including Redding, Toyon, Shasta Dam Village, Project City, Summit City, and Central Valley.