About the Project

In 1919, a small construction company from Ogden Utah was awarded the contract to build what had become the most controversial dam in the United States. For over a decade, John Muir and others fought against having the river in the Hetch Hetchy Valley dammed. They argued that it would destroy the natural beauty of the federally protected land. However, the idea of providing power and water to the Bay Area in California won. Utah Construction Company went about employing hundreds of men to build the dam. After four years, the dam was completed and dedicated to the engineer who designed it, Michael O’Shaughnessy. This project highlights Utah’s connection to O’Shaughnessy dam and some of the things that went into its construction.

About Utah Construction Company

Utah Construction Company was founded in 1900 in Ogden by David Eccles, Thomas Dee and Edmund, William, and Warren Wattis. Using the construction expertise the Wattis brothers gained by working with their uncles, the Corey Brothers, the five set out to become builders of the West. They started with railroads and soon expanded into dams and roads. O’Shaughnessy became their largest project to date and helped establish the company as dam builders. It paved the way for the contract on the Hoover Dam which propelled the company onto the international stage.

The company went on to diversify their projects by getting involved in construction of buildings and military installations. By the 1940s, they opened their first mine and became known as an excellent mining company across the globe working in Peru and Australia.The company continued until 1976, when it was purchased by General Electric. Even 76 years later, the majority of the Board of Directors had family ties to the original founding members.