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all roads in and around Oroville lead to but one location today to that great gray mass of earth behind me, soaring up from the valley floor nearly 800 ft sitting across the Feather River like a mountain someone had tipped over on its side. And no matter

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the vantage point picked to describe the Oroville Dam, the adjective category has to revolve around such words as huge, mammoth and colossal. The Oroville Dam is the highest earth filled dam in the world. The highest dam of any kind in the United States boasts a historic

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embankment, built of more than 80 million cubic yards of dredger, trailing left behind by the 40 Niner gold miners containing 10 times the combined mass of the sixth largest pyramids of Egypt. Ah, bulk large enough to fill one and one half million railroad cars is as

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high as a 77 story building twice a so long as the Golden Gate Bridge in pounds. A reservoir, which will hold 3.5 million acre feet of water under a 24 square mile surface, bounded by 167 miles of shoreline, adding up to enough water to supply the

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household needs of the entire state population for one year cost $479 million part of which amounted to the largest civil works contract ever awarded competitively in the United States. It's a big damn, but as overwhelming as the statistical milestones of the Oroville Dam. Maybe they really

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do not illustrate the rial story of the dam and what it means by 1971 Feather River water will reach Los Angeles County through the 444 mile California Aqueduct, and it begins here. This is an idea that has lasted and been worked on for nearly 20 years

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in California, through the administrations of four governors, Republicans and Democrats, and thus too many. The Oroville Dam dedicated today was the fulfillment of a dream. Two others, those who steadfastly opposed the flow of northern California water to southern sections of the state. Those who fear San

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Francisco Bay pollution when the now more or less free flowing river water is controlled. Those who dread alleged increases in the salt content of the water in the Sacramento Delta country, the Oroville Dam is not a blessing. It does nevertheless remain a very large fact for

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the people of Oroville, five miles south of the damn. It means something else. And it is, of course, there. Damn! A carnival is running along the banks of the feather and drawing large happy crowds, parades, air scheduled and being marched off. And the whole thing is

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being dubbed or Aviles Big damn dedication and Feather River Regatta days. And there are five of those days. Quite naturally, then Orville is not just sitting around while someone else goes through a dedication ceremony up by the dam. Flags and welcome signs hang from just about

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every pillar, post and building front in town, and their primary reason for being glad it's there is that it puts some brakes on the once wild Feather River, which is more than a few times inundated their community and others. Late yesterday, Orville Mayor Conrad Whisker had

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some thoughts about that right here where you're standing. The water was eight or 10 ft deep in 1955 and our town was flooded. Uh, water would have these storms. We've ruined good farmland. We kept building our levees higher and the water would be pushed on down

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the river on our sister cities. And, uh, this is damn, of course, is for flood control here. This is the main thing, and e think it'll be the happiest day of my life tomorrow when we have that dedication. The townspeople went up to the dam along

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with many others, including a special trainload from Southern California for the dedication. Earl Warren, governor. When this began, now, Supreme Court Chief Justice was there, as was Senator Thomas Skakel and a host of other National, state, local and water district dignitaries. The dedication speech delivered by

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Governor Reagan. We are here today to dedicate, as you've been told, more than a dam in a lake. We're here to dedicate what is, in truth, a memorial to the vision. The dedication of the hard work of many, many Californians. Californians whose love for their state

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has overcome any narrow sectional is, um, they may have felt here before you is Lake Oregon, filling to its destiny for the use of flood control, hydroelectric power, irrigation, municipal and domestic purposes and as one of the greatest recreational and fishery lakes in California and off

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there is the highest dam in the United States. This is a major achievement of our time. It's my pleasure here this morning to officially accept Oroville Dam and Reservoir from the contractor on behalf of the people of California. And it's with great pride, therefore, But I

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simply dedicate Oroville Dam and Lake Oroville to the people of California's future who will benefit for the generations from this giant structure on the water that it impounds. Thank you, very. I think it's going to stay in the background.