Apache Trail

The narrow, winding road is unpaved from just east of the town of Tortilla Flat to Roosevelt Dam; there are steep cliff drops and few safety barriers.

[2] Development of the Salt River Valley began after the Civil War, when the United States federal government desired to settle territories in the West.

Reclamation projects, such as building a storage dam, would not only accumulate and provide enough water for the farmers during a drought, but also decrease the likelihood of disastrous floods during the wet periods.

Furthermore, this devastating drought showcased the need for greater government involvement in these water management projects that would reclaim the arid lands of the West.

Due to pressure from publications, irrigation organizations, and lobby campaigns, both the Republican and Democratic platforms in the presidential election of 1900 prioritized pro-irrigation and pro-reclamation as their central plank.

[4] One of the first federal projects undertaken by the National Reclamation Act was the construction of the Theodore Roosevelt Dam in Arizona, which would provide the vital water supply and hydroelectric power to promote the growth of the Phoenix metropolitan area.

Although the remote site of this future dam proved to be a logistical nightmare, the solution to this problem was the construction of the Apache Trail.

Thus, the Apache Trail served as the critical supply road, facilitating the transport of materials and equipment to the dam site.