Cheesman Dam is a

masonry Masonry is the building of structures from individual units, which are often laid in and bound together by mortar; the term ''masonry'' can also refer to the units themselves. The common materials of masonry construction are bricks, building ...

curved

gravity dam A gravity dam is a dam constructed from concrete or stone masonry and designed to hold back water by using only the weight of the material and its resistance against the foundation to oppose the horizontal pressure of water pushing against it. ...

on the

South Platte River The South Platte River is one of the two principal tributaries of the Platte River. Flowing through the U.S. states of Colorado and Nebraska, it is itself a major river of the American Midwestern United States, Midwest and the American Sout ...

located in

Colorado Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of t ...

. It was the tallest of its type in the world when completed in 1905. The primary purpose of the dam is water supply and it was named for Colorado businessman, Walter Scott Cheesman. In 1973 it was designated a

Historic Civil Engineering Landmark __NOTOC__ The following is a list of Historic Civil Engineering Landmarks as designated by the American Society of Civil Engineers since it began the program in 1964. The designation is granted to projects, structures, and sites in the United State ...

. The Denver Water Board purchased the reservoir and related facilities in 1918.

External links

Cheesman Dam
at Denver Water

Bibliography

* Dams in Colorado Dams in the Mississippi River basin Dams completed in 1905 Historic Civil Engineering Landmarks Buildings and structures in Douglas County, Colorado Masonry dams 1905 establishments in Colorado {{Colorado-struct-stub