Historical Marker

Elephant Butte Dam

Pueblo Indians irrigated and farmed the Rio Grande Valley for several hundred years before the Spaniards arrived and built acequias. Building the dam was the first large-scale effort to harness and control the Rio Grande, and its construction proved critical to the historic debate over interstate and international water use. Built between 1910—1916, Elephant Butte Dam when completed was the world’s second largest irrigation reservoir with a capacity of more than two million acre-feet of water. It revolutionized agricultural production in southern New Mexico. The dam irrigates 178,000 acres of land, aids in flood control, produces hydroelectric power, and created a park with boating, fishing, hiking, and camping facilities.