History Through the Eyes of a Camera

History Through the Eyes of a Camera. . , (This marker is composed of photographs and the captions associated with them.) , (top left) , Carved by a Flood , Lake Bonneville, the bigger ancestor of Salt Lake, flooded this area about 15,000 years ago. Twin Falls, so named because of the pair of cataracts than once poured over these rocks, was formed by that flood. , (bottom left) , 1935 Construction , In 1935 Idaho Power began construction on the original dams and power plant. Because there was no road into the building site, crews used a "skip" to haul equipment and supplies into and out of the canyon. The skip was an electrically powered deck that traveled up and down a well-greased, 260-foot-long wooden ramp. , (bottom center) , 1995 Construction , (top photo) The new power plant on the floor of the Snake River below Twin Falls. Large cranes were used at the building site. , (right photo) The generator rotor is lowered into the new power plant. When the water turns the plant's turbine, it also turns this rotor which provides the magnetic field, creating electricity. , (upper right) , Aerial View , Twin Falls Reservoir is a great place to boat, swim and fish. Have a picnic in the park and enjoy the beautiful canyon., The arch dam is 789 feet long. It was built in 1935 along with the non-overflow dam and powerhouse., 1935 Power Plant , generates 9 megawatts , used when water flows are 100 to 1,000 cfs (cfs - cubic feet per second) , built in one year , uses a Francis turbine , 1995 Power Plant , generates 43.5 megawatts , used when water flows are 1,000 to 4,000 cfs (both plants used at the same time for flows above 4,000 cfs) , built in two years , uses a Kaplan turbine with blades that change pitch for the best efficiency at varied water flows , The two power plants are capable of generating enough power to provide electricity for approximately 31,900 homes.