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Show L. Udall and other Federal and State dignitaries participated in the ceremony on the crest of the dam almost ten years from the day construction started with the first blast on October 15, 1956. General The prime contract for general construction of Glen Canyon Dam was awarded on April 29, 1957, to Merritt-Chapman & Scott Corporation. The high pressure gates in the left diversion tunnel were partially closed on March 13, 1963, to begin impoundment of water in Lake Powell. On September 13, 1963, the last bucket of mass concrete was placed in Glen Canyon Dam to total nearly 5 million cubic yards. The prime contractor finished his work in October 1964. The Glen Canyon powerplant began operation when its first unit went on the line September 4, 1964. The last unit went into operation February 28, 1966. Work under a contract providing for completion of the dam, powerplant, and switchyard, awarded in June 1962, is still underway and is due to be finished in the next few months. Only minor construction and cleanup work remain to be done. Other current construction activity involves installation of the left diversion tunnel plug and spillway elbow and erection of the Visitor Center overlooking the dam and reservoir. Installation of the left tunnel plug and spillway elbow was about 97 percent completed by September 30, 1966. The Visitor Center, to serve both the Bureau of Reclamation and the National Park Service, is scheduled for completion in 1967. Recreation Facilities Glen Canyon National Recreation Area Glen Canyon National Recreation Area is rapidly becoming one of the West's most popular playgrounds. Boating, fishing, and water skiing top the list of recreational activities. In less than five years visitation to the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area has leaped from a little over 9,000 in 1962 - before closure of the gates at Glen Canyon Dam to initiate storage of water in Lake Powell - to 304,600 during the period from January 1 to September 30,1966 - a new record for the area. The National Park Service has made great strides in developing recreation facilities on Lake Powell. That agency has contracted with private individuals to operate concession facilities at Wahweap, Rainbow Bridge, Halls Crossing, Hite, Lees Ferry, and Bullfrog Basin. 78 |