Before leaving the Glan Canyon / Lake Powell area, we decided to take a tour of the dam. It's the fourth largest dam in the US (but only 16 feet shorter than Hoover Dam, and with a wider span across the canyon). Glen Canyon and the surrounding area used to be part of the Navajo Reservation. Back in the 1950's, the government offered to purchase the Glen Canyon area in order to make a dam in the Colorado River. In the beginning, the Navajo refused to make a deal, but then they came to an agreement. Rather than purchasing the property, the US agreed to a land-swap deal in which the Navajo reclaimed land in Oklahoma that had been taken away from them. Construction of the dam began in 1956. It ended up benefiting the Navajo people because it provided jobs and a tourism industry in the surrounding area (our Navajo guide in the slot canyons a few days ago told us that).
They were in the process of replacing the turbines in the power plant (the old ones are the original ones that were installed in the dam when it was built). So, we got to see shiny new turbines ready to be installed, as well as an old one that they put on display on top of the dam.
:) Connie
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