Signing contract for the construction of the dam, August 17, 1919.
Utah Construction Company was one of three companies that put a bid for the construction of the Hetch Hetchy Dam. The companies included R.C. Storrie and Company, out of San Francisco and W.A. Kraner from Washington. The bids ranged from just over $6 million to $5.3 million.
Utah Construction came in with the lowest bid of $5,370,808.50. It was $1,296,000 higher than the recent estimates of the City Engineer. UCC agreed to purchase $6,000,000 of the Hetch Hetchy bonds in lieu of direct payment.
South abutment, September 26, 1922.
Engineer Barlow, McAfee and E.O. Wattis on proposed gravel quarry,base of Falls Creek. Courtesy of the University of California, Berkeley,
Bancroft Library.
In the company board meeting minutes on July 30, 1919: The proposal for the construction of the Hetch Hetchy dam was accepted by the Board of Public Works and the contract was awarded. W.H. Wattis was given permission by the board to sign the contract and necessary bonds. Wattis stated "We intend to begin work at once. As soon as I see what equipment and material is necessary no time will be lost on our part."
The company sent Hank Lawler to serve as superintendent at the work site. Lawler would go on and work on other projects later, such as Hoover Dam. With Lawler there daily, the Wattis brothers would visit the site periodically to check on the progress and deal with any problems that arose. When E.O. Wattis returned from the site in September 1919 he stated the project
will take about three years to complete and it is expected that a small city will be built up during that time.
Dam construction at night, June 6, 1922. Courtesy of San Francisco Public Library.
Along with Lawler, UCC also sent workers from Utah to the construction site. With the establishment of the small construction town, the men were able to take their children with them. Over 150 men followed the company to California to work.
Camp Mather bunkhouses, 1919. Courtesy of the University of California, Berkeley, Bancroft Library.
Men doing high wire work.
The company was responsible for Camp Mather that provided housing and services for the workers. UCC constructed bunkhouses, messhouses, schoolhouse, library, movie theater, church, men’s recreation hut and other buildings. UCC fed all the men employed in the Hetch-Hetchy Valley. They would work all winter. Wattis said “we won’t turn any good man away. Our force will work eight hours a day. Just now (1919) we are preparing accommodations for the workmen, as we will need a larger force than the city has heretofore employed. We intend to have a school, amusement hall, a library, a clubroom and a church. The men can go to service or play billiards and pool, as they choose. Of course the church will be for all denominations. The company is going to do everything it can to get good men and to keep them.”
In 1921, the company was operating at a loss and had a net worth of only $4,000,000. Over half of its assets were represented by ranch lands, cattle, sheep, hogs, horses and feed. Its principal construction project was the building of the O'Shaughnessy Dam for the Hetch Hetchy water system serving San Francisco. This project, along with the guidance of Marriner Eccles, helped turn the company around.