Home > Florida > Belle Glade > Hurricane Gate Structure 4, Herbert Hoover Dike on Lake Okeechobee, Belle Glade, Palm Beach County, FL
B&W Photos
HB332288
Lakeside View Looking From Lake Okeechobee At The Upstream Side Of The Structure.
| 
HB332289
Lakeside View Looking At The Downstream Side Of The Structure.
| 
HB332290
Levee Approach Looking South Towards Hurricane Gate 4 Gates.
| 
HB332291
View Looking At Operator's House Located On The South Side Of Hurricane Gate 4.
|
HB332292
View Of Sector Gates Looking South From The Lakeside Wingwalls.
| 
HB332293
Downstream View Of Walls Looking North Across Structure.
| 
HB332294
View Of Sector Gates Looking North From Landside Wall.
| 
HB332295
View Of Sector Gates Looking North From Hurricane Gate 4 At The Screens And Walkway On Top.
|
HB332296
View Of Wingwall Looking South At Walkway.
|
Data Pages
Photo Caption Pages
Item Title
LocationHerbert Hoover Dike on Lake Okeechobee,
Belle Glade, FL
Find maps of Belle Glade, FL
Created/Published
Documentation compiled after 1968.
Notes
Survey number HAER FL-5
Unprocessed field note material exists for this structure (N305).
Building/structure dates:
1935 initial construction
Building/structure dates:
1936 subsequent work
Building/structure dates:
1956 subsequent work
Building/structure dates:
1961 subsequent work
Significance: Construction of Hurricane Gate Structure 4 was authorized by the River and Harbor Act of July 3, 1930. As such, it was part of the first major federal project in the central and southern Florida area. The project was developed, in part, in response to the effects of the 1926 and 1928 hurricanes. An estimated 2,500 people were drowned around Lake Okeechobee, and as a result, the hurricanes gained the dubious distinction of being considered great national disasters. Included in the 1930 project were the 8-foot-deep navigational channel from the Intracoastal Waterway near Stuart, Florida (via the St. Lucie River and Canal, Lake Okeechobee, and the Caloosahatchee Canal and River) to Fort Myers. Locks and control works were built near Stuart and at Moore Haven and Ortona. The project also entailed construction of 68 miles of levees along the south shore of Lake Okeechobee and 16 miles along the lake's north shore, and hurricane gates and 10-foot-diameter gated culvert structures. These facilities were designed to aid navigation, and to protect life and property around Lake Okeechobee. Because this project was authorized and begun during President Herbert Hoover's administration, the Lake Okeechobee levees were named the "Herbert Hoover Dike" in 1961. Hurricane Gate Structure 4 is an example of early waterworks. Its significance as a historic resource derives from the fact that it represents an early engineering solution to flood control that has continued to function for 50 years.
Subjects
WaterworksGates
Related Names
U.S. Army Corps Of Engineers
E.H. Latham Company
Collection
Historic American Engineering Record (Library of Congress)
Contents
Photograph caption(s):
1. LAKESIDE VIEW LOOKING FROM LAKE OKEECHOBEE AT THE UPSTREAM SIDE OF THE STRUCTURE.
2. LAKESIDE VIEW LOOKING AT THE DOWNSTREAM SIDE OF THE STRUCTURE.
3. LEVEE APPROACH LOOKING SOUTH TOWARDS HURRICANE GATE 4 GATES.
4. VIEW LOOKING AT OPERATOR'S HOUSE LOCATED ON THE SOUTH SIDE OF HURRICANE GATE 4.
5. VIEW OF SECTOR GATES LOOKING SOUTH FROM THE LAKESIDE WINGWALLS.
6. DOWNSTREAM VIEW OF WALLS LOOKING NORTH ACROSS STRUCTURE.
7. VIEW OF SECTOR GATES LOOKING NORTH FROM LANDSIDE WALL.
8. VIEW OF SECTOR GATES LOOKING NORTH FROM HURRICANE GATE 4 AT THE SCREENS AND WALKWAY ON TOP.
9. VIEW OF WINGWALL LOOKING SOUTH AT WALKWAY.
Back to Belle Glade, Florida
Cart