Crystal
Dam

Crystal Dam is a 323-foot-tall (98 m), double-curvature, concrete, thin arch dam located in the Curecanti National Recreation Area which is located in the Black Canyon of the Gunnison River. I worked on the dam during its construction in 1976 and 1977. It was located at the bottom of the canyon and we would watch the elk and deer and other wild animals on the other side of the river while we were at work. When I went in the labor union they asked if I could do high scaling. I did not know what it entailed but I was sure that I could do it. It involved having a safety belt with two pig tails of rope leads fastened to the belt then the other end wrapped around a larger rope which came down off the side of the dam up to over 300 feet off of the side. I would go up and down the rope by clamping my feet around the rope then loosening and pushing the pigtail of the rope up the larger rope and then tighten it again till I arrived at the place where I needed to be. I also was on the pour crew using a concrete vibrator and other tools to fill the forms with concrete. I had a few close calls but the time went by fast.

October of 1976 I was working on the top of the dam when I saw down below on the canyon floor a worker run over to my foreman and talk to him. He radioed up that my wife had gone into labor and that I needed to get home quickly which I did. Our neighbor which was also a friend took Cynde to the hospital and I made it there before our daughter was born.