Page 350 - Peterson 85 Years and Going Strong

Valley. The flood of 1950 sparked the idea of a collection and distribution system to divert water away from towns and deliver it to the thirsty south. The Christmas Flood of 1955 finally pushed the plan into action five years ahead of schedule. Oro- ville Dam was the first big installation—and key- stone—of the new State Water Program.
Preliminary work began in 1957 with the reloca- tion of Hwy 40 and the Western Pacific railway out of the future reservoir’s lakebed. “Contractors
Original construction of Oroville Dam in the 1960s. Buster-built Quad D9 pictured at top. (Center) Oman used a giant wheel excavator to harvest the old mine tailings for fill material on the dam.
348 | PETERSON: 85 YEARS AND GOING STRONG