Demographics

• Page, Arizona, the chosen site of the Glen Canyon Dam, was originally a Navajo Reservation. Without much consideration, the government enacted a land exchange with the Navajo, giving them land in Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah so the dam could be constructed at the chosen site. The Native Americans had inhabited this area for over 40,000 years and now were being forced to move off their religious land or join the workforce constructing the dam. The Bureau of Reclamation was in charge of deciding on a location for the dam and finding a workforce to construct the dam

• The B.O.R. advertised for a doctor, dentist, pharmacist, teachers, etc. to come settle on one of the last American frontiers, ignoring the fact this land had been owned by the Navajo for thousands of previous years. They constructed houses, hospitals, government buildings and roads to attract settlers. The community consisted of about 3000 inhabitants in the beginnings, mostly construction workers. Much of the community lived in "trans-housing", or trailer parks, due to the red sand and lack of vegetation. These people knew the true meaning of community since they depended on each other for mostly everything. After the completion of the dam, the population dropped to around 1,500, those that stayed to preserve.