Roosevelt Travel Guide

In order to make modifications and refinements to the Roosevelt Dam they had to redirect traffic from the top. They spent 21.3 million dollars building the Roosevelt Bridge which is now how Arizona Highway 188 crosses the lake. The Roosevelt Bridge spans 1080 feet across the lake and is the longest two-lane single-span steel-arch bridge in North America. It was named as one of the top 12 bridges in the nation. It blends well with the environment and is very impressive.

In 1903 the United States Corps of Engineers began building a dam at the confluence of the Salt River and Tonto Creek. The last stone was put in place on 6 February 1911. At the time of it's completion, it was the largest stone dam in the world at 357 feet high. Several thousand people were employed building the dam. Typical wages began at $2.50 a day for laborers to $5 a day for more skilled positions. A town sprang up very quickly at the building site, and was named Roosevelt. By 1907 the town had a baseball team, bowling alley, ice cream parlor, theater, a school, a church and a couple of saloons/brothels. The original town of Roosevelt is now under Roosevelt Lake.

The cliff dwellings were built between the 13th and 15th century by the Salado. The buildings are well preserved, from the upper dwellings you can enjoy a wide view over Lake Roosevelt. Keep your eyse peeled to catch a glimpse of the Red Cardinal, a magnificent little bird.