This image is being made available for educational and research purposes only, under the fair use clause of the U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17 § 107 U.S.C.) Further questions regarding the image or its use may be directed to the California History and Genealogy Room, Fresno County Public Library, 2420 Mariposa St., Fresno, CA 93721-2285; (559) 488-3195, press #3, then #5.
Description
Friant Dam pictured here was classified as ready for service in November 1944. In July 1945 Peter Kiewit & Sons Company of Omaha, Nebraska was awarded the contract to build the Friant-Kern Canal. The Friant-Kern Canal outlet works are located on the left side of the spillway. The canal travels in a southerly direction over 152 miles carrying water from Millerton Lake to the Kern River four miles west of Bakersfield. Excavation work began in August 1945. On July 9, 1949, 2,500 people watched a former Reclamation location engineer and a citrus grower from the town of Lindsay usher in the first delivery of water. The system became fully operational on June 29, 1951. Except for the Delta-Mendota Canal, the Friant-Kern is the largest lined canal in the West.
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