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Home Supply Irrigation Dam On March 3. 1895 tl1e Home Supply IrrigatIOn Dam was constructed on the Big Thompson River west of Loveland. U was designed in 1894 by John H. Nelson. He was a self laught engi- neer who did not have the benefit of any college education. He always had aspirahons of being an engineer and while he farmed for his father he used the money he earned to purchase lex:! books from Yale and Harvard. He studied while working in the fields The dam which IS 60 feel high was made out of dressed sandstone blocks weighing up to 2000 pourlds which were set In concrete mortar _ The dam was made as an arch dam which was the first of rts type in the West. The structure was considered an engineering landmark. The sandstone Olocks were placed in such a manner thaI floodwater pressures are transferred to the solid rock walls on ooth sides of tile canyon. It was bUilt at a cost of $11,000. In 1988, the dam was dedicated as a Colorado Civil Engineering Hlsloricallandmaril. The dam serves as a dlverslOrl strudure thai is the source 01 waler lor the Horne Supply lniga- tion Drtch and also the City of Loveland_ --~ -_""':''':'~ [~ .:-,j September 2005 .:.:1 ; .. . . . . . , " . .. .. , .. .. ., " .. '."" " .. .. .. " .. . " . ":U" .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. " .. . " " " " .. .. Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat , I 1 2 3 I I I I I I I I I 1- - 4t -L j at- I -- 5 6 7 9 10 I I L'bo'D'Y~ ~ I .. I I ! 11 14 I 15 16 I 17 I I I I 1 1- I 2J-- I - ----wt- ! 18 19 21 23 24 I I I I I I -L - I ~ 281- ! -I - 25 I 26 27 29 I 30 I I I I I , . AoolP.Oatp. GrnlJO Inr: