Water Wars: An AHC presentation 

In 1964, Ray Watton moved to Page to work on the construction of the Glen Canyon Dam as a "Pour Watch". The title was literally to monitor the pouring of the concrete at the base of the dam.
He and his family moved to live at Wahweap Lodge in a small trailer. Ray discusses the things he did for entertainment, and what the beginning of the Lake was like in the 1960s.

Page Pioneer Interviews

Ray Watton Interview

Larry Sanderson Interview

*Tape was hard to convert due to the improper conservation of the analog recording.

Jim and his family arrived in Page in 1968 to start work on the newspaper in town, The Lake Powell Chronicle. Prior to his arrival, the only news in town was a weekly publication called The Page Signal which was more of a social news source than political.
Jim is interviewed by Julia Betz from the John Wesley Powell museum to discuss his memories of Page and its changes throughout the decades.

Jim Stubbs Interview

In 1959 the Page Hospital was built, bringing Dr. J. Ballard Washburn and his family to the new town of Page. J. Ballard talks about the importance of the hospital as one of the first buildings constructed in town as a money-saving method, as patients previously had to trek down to Flagstaff if their illnesses were serious enough. The Washburns talk about the changes they've seen come to town and how much the hospital has been updated in the decades since the dam's construction.

J Ballard & Barbara Washburn Interview

Betty Kazan Interview

Elmer and his family arrived in Page in February 1957 from Alaska. Having already worked for Lem Wiley in Alaska, Elmer was happy to accept a job working on the new Glen Canyon Dam. At first, Elmer was hired to work as an administrative assistant to scout out how the new town of Page would look. He was asked to visit other dam towns to see how those towns looked and how close it was to the dam, as at the time the Bureau of Reclamation didn't have a firm plan. Eventually the Bureau would hire a city planner, and Elmer became the overseer of the project as a whole.

Elmer Urban Interview

Tessie moved to America in 1948 to be with her daughter, Freda. Nearly a decade later Freda, her husband Don, and Tessie all moved to Page, Arizona in 1957. Don began work on the Glen Canyon Dam, while Freda and Tessie looked after the other children on K street.
Tessie is interviewed by previous library volunteer Dorothy Warner, as they discuss the changes Tessie observed through the decades living in Page.

Tessie Rylance Interview

Lana arrived in Page in 1958 as a fourth grader when her dad took a job working on the Glen Canyon Dam. She sits down with Julia Betz from the John Wesley Powell museum to give the child's perspective of arriving in a brand new town filled with sand. She discusses the excitement of being able to watch tv in town, and other ways the kids of Page could find to keep themselves entertained.

Elmer Urban Interview

The Powell Museum & Archives

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