Page 17 - BuildingJob inIowa

The Legacy of the
New Deal in Iowa

It is hard to overestimate the impact of the New
Deal programs on the Iowa landscape. The
core idea of the New Deal work relief programs
was to provide work to jobless Americans by
having them create useful public works. In ad-
dition to feeding and clothing millions of fami-
lies during a time of severe economic crisis, the
work relief projects also altered the physical
and cultural landscape of the state. Although
some New Deal work relief projects did not in-
volve construction, many FERA and WPA proj-
ects—and nearly all projects of the CCC, PWA
and CWA—involved some change to the built
or landscaped environment. These projects
included the construction of buildings, dams,
bridges, waterworks, swimming pools, and
other public works; resurfacing of roads; land-
scaping public parks and green spaces; and in
some cases, erosion control on private farm-
land. Anyone who grew up or raised a family
in Iowa in the mid to late 20th century would
have encountered many examples of New Deal
buildings, bridges, dams, park structures, and
other public works.52

The legacy of the New Deal dams in the Wap-
sipinicon River watershed continues into the
21st century. More than 80 years after they
were built, these dams remain valued as rec-
reation areas for neighbors and visitors alike.
They have become beloved landmarks which
may be closely tied to the identity of the as-
sociated towns. Although safety issues and
changing ideas of conservation practices have
required the removal of some older dams, oth-
ers remain to remind us of the worst economic
crisis of the 20th century and the national
legacy of public works that were created in
response.

Photographs of Littleton Dam used for recreation in the 1930s and 1940s
(from LCHS-FFPC).

Building Jobs in Iowa—New Deal Dams of the Wapsipinicon River Watershed in Northeast Iowa 15