H. O. and Anna Watts Papers
![MS.110 - Box 1 of 1; ff 20/22: retirement cards [ Boulder City (1951)]](https://d8e7jbdw4fu0e.cloudfront.net/4452/e09e5330-81ed-11f0-bb1d-83484095db73-v37OSBl.lg@2x.jpg)
MS.110 - Box 1 of 1; ff 20/22: retirement cards [ Boulder City (1951)]
![MS.110 - Box 1 of 1; ff 20/22: retirement cards [ Boulder City (1951)]](https://d3f1jyudfg58oi.cloudfront.net/4452/image/e09e5330-81ed-11f0-bb1d-83484095db73-vVVWtO1.tn@2x.jpg)
Name/Title
H. O. and Anna Watts PapersEntry/Object ID
MS.110Scope and Content
H. O. and Anna Watts Papers MS 110 H. O. and Anna Watts Papers Halbert Orren Watts [1886 - 1978] and his wife, Anna [1890 - 1983] may be counted among the very earliest of Boulder City’s settlers. Watts went to work for the Nevada-California Power Company [known by 1921 as the California Electric Power Company] in 1913, which was the company awarded the contract in January 1931 to provide the power for construction of Hoover Dam. Watts and his crew first arrived at the Hoover Dam site in December 1930 and pitched a tent camp near the river from which they hauled equipment and supplies to the site on the Nevada side of Black Canyon where they built a power distribution substation. In February 1931 the crew moved into a semi-permanent settlement of wood-frame tents next to the substation, where Watts’ wife Anna joined him with Elspeth, their infant daughter. Anna came from Ireland, was a trained nurse, and operated the mess hall for the power workers while they built the substation [a photograph in the Meares Collection(0080) pictures the substation and workers’ settlement, noting the "cook house run by Mrs. Watts"]. Watts operated this substation until 1936 when Hoover Dam itself began generating power. The California Electric Power Company operated Hoover Dam’s power facilities through a trial period of several years after construction, and in 1939, when Southern California Edison took over power distribution, Watts was part of the deal, drawing half his salary from Edison and half from California Electric. The Watts family were an integral part of the life of Boulder City, as well. They moved into the house built at 311 Utah Street in February 1932, and planted the city’s first vegetable garden, which proved the surprising fertility of Boulder City’s soil. With her medical training, Anna Watts served as midwife to many of Boulder City’s children. H. O. was a charter member of Boulder City’s Rotary Club, Chamber of Commerce, and Masons. He was elected to the board of the Boulder City Union School District in 1938, a position he held until he retired and left Boulder City in 1951. Both H. O. and Anna are buried in the Boulder City Cemetery. The materials in the Watts Papers include daughter Elspeth Watts’ baby book, grammar school report cards, and high school diploma; her father’s retirement cards and letters, as well as his Masonic jewelry and Rotary Club artifacts. The Watts Papers are also supported by a photo collection no. 0161[H. O. and Anna Watts Collection]. * * *Collection
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