Miracle on the Salt River: Water, Family & Farming in the Arizona Desert - Hardcoverby Meredith Haley Whiteley (Author) Following enactment of the Reclamation Act, the first federally constructed dam broke ground in Arizona's Salt River Valley in 1905. With the inauguration of Roosevelt Dam, the distant dream of an abundant life in the desert became a reality. The dam and farmer operated water distribution system tamed the vicious drought, created arable land and became an irrigation model for the West. With the water came farmers