Water in Idaho: Irrigation and Dam Building

Water rights and usage have been contentious issues throughout Idaho's agricultural history.  The increase of agriculture and irrigation as a result of the 1894 Carey Act had an impact on water policy, dam building, and allocation of water rights.  The largest Carey Act projects in the United States were built in Idaho. We have many collections that reference irrigation, including state agency and irrigation company records, interviews, and photographs during the early twentieth century. 

Building dams in the Snake River Valley produced energy and led to some agricultural successes. However, the 1976 collapse of the Teton Dam highlighted the potential danger of these construction projects. The disaster and clean-up are documented in our book, photograph, oral history, newspaper microfilm, and moving images collections.

• AR53, the records of the Department of Water Administration, includes 6 cubic feet of aerial photos of the Teton Dam flood, taken by planes flying over the dam soon after it broke.