Many pioneers recognized the potential and value of a gravity irrigation system for the Palo Verde Valley and made sacrifices to obtain it. Three people were especially important to the construction of the dam and to the valley’s early development: O.P. Calloway, an adventurer-explorer who had the original vision of a vibrant Palo Verde Valley fed by the waters of the Colorado River; Ed Williams, whose early efforts in fighting an untamed river helped keep the valley from being lost to the elements and forces of nature; and Wayne H. Fisher, whose work in reorganizing and refinancing the valley during the Great Depression helped keep its farmers from despair and bankruptcy.