W. R. Holway
Encyclopedia
William Rea Holway commonly known as W. R. Holway, was an American civil engineer
who became prominent in Oklahoma
. He is best known for his work on major water supply
projects for the city of Tulsa
, and on the Pensacola Dam
at Grand Lake o' the Cherokees
.
Holway came to Tulsa in 1918, where he became the city waterworks
engineer. In 1920, he was hired as a consulting engineer to plan a pipeline to carry water from Lake Spavinaw to Tulsa. He founded the firm W. R. Holway and Associates in 1922. Holway was chief engineer for the Pensacola Dam, which created the Grand Lake o' the Cherokees on the Grand River
(the lower Neosho River
), in northeastern Oklahoma. Construction began in 1938 and was completed in 1940. At the time, this was the longest multiple-arch dam in the world. In 1952, W. R. Holway and Associates was the engineering firm that built Lake Eucha
, which functions as additional storage and as a buffer for Lake Spavinaw.
to Augustus Holway and Helen Freeman Nye on April 29, 1893. He graduated from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
(MIT) in 1916 with a Bachelor of Science
degree in civil engineering
and married Frances Hope Kerr on July 28, 1916.
and then as engineer for a waterworks plant in Alliance, Ohio
. These were apparently uneventful, and the Holways moved to Tulsa in 1918.
In 1918, W. R. became a city waterworks engineer for Tulsa, in charge of a water treatment
plant that filtered silt from the Arkansas River
water that was then distributed for residential use. The filtration plant never performed as designed. He recommended that the city spend no more money trying to make the Arkansas water potable because it also had a higher salt content than sea water. He then went into business for himself on a paving project in nearby Sand Springs
. He founded the firm W. R. Holway and Associates in 1922.
.. They had decided to build a reservoir on Spavinaw Creek, a tributary of the Verdigris River
, over fifty miles northeast of Tulsa. Holway was selected as chief engineer for this project in 1920. He is credited with designing a 55-mile long pipeline that could carry water to Lake Yahola in Tulsa using a gravity flow system alone. The line became operational in 1924, and was the longest such line in the U. S. at that time. The construction was not simple. Holway had to build railroad and telephone lines from Tulsa, where the 60-inch and 84-inch diameter pipes were made, to the dam site.
Engineering issues were not the only problems Holway faced. The Ku Klux Klan
had become a powerful political force in Oklahoma by the 1920s. While Holway was assembling a 40-man team to oversee the Spavinaw project, three representatives of the Klan confronted him to demand that he fire three Roman Catholics. He refused to do so, even though he recognized one Klansman as his own banker. Knowing the Klan's reputation for violence, he thereafter kept a loaded weapon handy, even strapping it to the steering wheel of his car.
The Spavinaw system exceeded the original design requirements, which called for meeting Tulsa's water needs for 25 years. It actually could deliver 60 million gallons per day by gravity flow. Pumps and a second pipeline were added much later, to meet peak summertime consumption. By 2009, Tulsa still received over half of its water from the system Holway designed.
selected Holway as the chief engineer for the Pensacola Dam
(also known as Grand River Dam) project. This dam would create the Grand Lake o' the Cherokees
in northeastern Oklahoma on the lower Neosho River
. Construction began in 1938 and was completed in 1941. At the time, this was the longest multiple-arch dam in the world.
was created by completion of the Eucha dam upstream from Lake Spavinaw. It functions as additional storage and as a buffer for Lake Spavinaw. W. R. Holway and Associates was in charge of engineering work for this project.
Congregational Church
. He earned money by delivering milk, herding cows and working in his father's livery stable. He graduated from Sandwich Academy, attended Dartmouth College
and Massachusetts Institute of Technology. While in high school, W. R. fell in love with Hope Kerr, who was seven years older than he. She had graduated from Radcliffe College
in 1910, then came to Sandwich to teach school. They married July 28, 1916, right after he had graduated from MIT.
Both of Holway's sons also graduated from MIT with a degree in civil engineering and joined their father in W. R. Holway and Associates. William Nye "Bill" Holway (1920–2007) succeeded his father as president of the consulting firm, which later was acquired by The Benham Group of Oklahoma City. Donal Kerr Holway (1917–2009) also spent his career in the family firm. The family firm continued to play a role in variety of water and power projects in the area.
Holway died in Tulsa on April 23, 1981.
in Tulsa. The church later grew to become the largest congregation in the Unitarian Universalist Association
, and Holway's son Bill was instrumental in the founding of a spinoff UU church in south Tulsa.
W. R. Holway Reservoir, formerly known as Chimney Rock Reservoir, was named for this man. It is northwest of the town of Locust Grove, Oklahoma
.
Civil engineer
A civil engineer is a person who practices civil engineering; the application of planning, designing, constructing, maintaining, and operating infrastructures while protecting the public and environmental health, as well as improving existing infrastructures that have been neglected.Originally, a...
who became prominent in Oklahoma
Oklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
. He is best known for his work on major water supply
Water supply
Water supply is the provision of water by public utilities, commercial organisations, community endeavours or by individuals, usually via a system of pumps and pipes...
projects for the city of Tulsa
Tulsa, Oklahoma
Tulsa is the second-largest city in the state of Oklahoma and 46th-largest city in the United States. With a population of 391,906 as of the 2010 census, it is the principal municipality of the Tulsa Metropolitan Area, a region with 937,478 residents in the MSA and 988,454 in the CSA. Tulsa's...
, and on the Pensacola Dam
Pensacola Dam
The Pensacola Dam, also known as the Grand River Dam, is a multiple-arch buttress dam on the Grand River in-between Disney and Langley in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The dam is operated by the Grand River Dam Authority and creates Grand Lake o' the Cherokees...
at Grand Lake o' the Cherokees
Grand Lake o' the Cherokees
Grand Lake o' the Cherokees is situated in Northeast Oklahoma, nestled in the foothills of the Ozark Mountain Range. The "o'" in the name of the lake stands for of not over. Grand Lake Of the Cherokees is the official name. It is often simply called Grand Lake...
.
Holway came to Tulsa in 1918, where he became the city waterworks
Water supply
Water supply is the provision of water by public utilities, commercial organisations, community endeavours or by individuals, usually via a system of pumps and pipes...
engineer. In 1920, he was hired as a consulting engineer to plan a pipeline to carry water from Lake Spavinaw to Tulsa. He founded the firm W. R. Holway and Associates in 1922. Holway was chief engineer for the Pensacola Dam, which created the Grand Lake o' the Cherokees on the Grand River
Grand River (Oklahoma)
The Grand River is an alternate name for the lower section of the Neosho River, a tributary of the Arkansas River in Oklahoma. "Grand River" refers to the section of river below the confluence of the Neosho and Spring rivers in Ottawa County near Miami...
(the lower Neosho River
Neosho River
The Neosho River is a tributary of the Arkansas River in eastern Kansas and northeastern Oklahoma in the United States. Its tributaries also drain portions of Missouri and Arkansas. The river is about long. Via the Arkansas, it is part of the Mississippi River watershed.- Course :The Neosho's...
), in northeastern Oklahoma. Construction began in 1938 and was completed in 1940. At the time, this was the longest multiple-arch dam in the world. In 1952, W. R. Holway and Associates was the engineering firm that built Lake Eucha
Lake Eucha
In 1952, Lake Eucha in Delaware County, Oklahoma, was created by completion of the Eucha dam on Spavinaw Creek. The nearest town is Jay, Oklahoma. This lake is owned by the City of Tulsa, Oklahoma and functions as additional storage and as a buffer for Lake Spavinaw, which is the principal...
, which functions as additional storage and as a buffer for Lake Spavinaw.
Early life
Holway was born in Sandwich, MassachusettsSandwich, Massachusetts
Sandwich is a town in Barnstable County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 20,675 at the 2010 census. The Town Hall is located right next to the Dexter Grist Mill, in the historic district of town....
to Augustus Holway and Helen Freeman Nye on April 29, 1893. He graduated from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. MIT has five schools and one college, containing a total of 32 academic departments, with a strong emphasis on scientific and technological education and research.Founded in 1861 in...
(MIT) in 1916 with a Bachelor of Science
Bachelor of Science
A Bachelor of Science is an undergraduate academic degree awarded for completed courses that generally last three to five years .-Australia:In Australia, the BSc is a 3 year degree, offered from 1st year on...
degree in civil engineering
Civil engineering
Civil engineering is a professional engineering discipline that deals with the design, construction, and maintenance of the physical and naturally built environment, including works like roads, bridges, canals, dams, and buildings...
and married Frances Hope Kerr on July 28, 1916.
Engineering career
Holway's first jobs were as assistant engineer in Providence, Rhode IslandProvidence, Rhode Island
Providence is the capital and most populous city of Rhode Island and was one of the first cities established in the United States. Located in Providence County, it is the third largest city in the New England region...
and then as engineer for a waterworks plant in Alliance, Ohio
Alliance, Ohio
Alliance is a city in Stark and Mahoning counties in the U.S. state of Ohio. The population was 22,322 at the 2010 census. Alliance's nickname is "The Carnation City", and the city is home to the University of Mount Union....
. These were apparently uneventful, and the Holways moved to Tulsa in 1918.
In 1918, W. R. became a city waterworks engineer for Tulsa, in charge of a water treatment
Water treatment
Water treatment describes those processes used to make water more acceptable for a desired end-use. These can include use as drinking water, industrial processes, medical and many other uses. The goal of all water treatment process is to remove existing contaminants in the water, or reduce the...
plant that filtered silt from the Arkansas River
Arkansas River
The Arkansas River is a major tributary of the Mississippi River. The Arkansas generally flows to the east and southeast as it traverses the U.S. states of Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas. The river's initial basin starts in the Western United States in Colorado, specifically the Arkansas...
water that was then distributed for residential use. The filtration plant never performed as designed. He recommended that the city spend no more money trying to make the Arkansas water potable because it also had a higher salt content than sea water. He then went into business for himself on a paving project in nearby Sand Springs
Sand Springs, Oklahoma
Sand Springs is a city in Osage and Tulsa counties in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. A suburb of Tulsa, it is located predominantly in Tulsa County. The population was 18,906 in the 2010 U. S. Census, compared to 17,451 at the 2000 census. The city was founded in 1911, by Oklahoma philanthropist...
. He founded the firm W. R. Holway and Associates in 1922.
Spavinaw project
Civic leaders had long realized that the Arkansas River was an unreliable source for Tulsa's water supply. Starting in 1908, they studied many different approaches to solving the water supply problem. One study concluded that Spavinaw Creek could provide ample water that could flow by gravity at least as far as Catoosa, OklahomaCatoosa, Oklahoma
Catoosa is a river city in Rogers and Wagoner counties in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The population was 7,159 at the 2010 census compared to 5,449 at the 2000 census. This was a 31.2 percent increase during the decade.Catoosa is an Inland seaport...
.. They had decided to build a reservoir on Spavinaw Creek, a tributary of the Verdigris River
Verdigris River
The Verdigris River is a tributary of the Arkansas River in southeastern Kansas and northeastern Oklahoma in the United States. It is about long...
, over fifty miles northeast of Tulsa. Holway was selected as chief engineer for this project in 1920. He is credited with designing a 55-mile long pipeline that could carry water to Lake Yahola in Tulsa using a gravity flow system alone. The line became operational in 1924, and was the longest such line in the U. S. at that time. The construction was not simple. Holway had to build railroad and telephone lines from Tulsa, where the 60-inch and 84-inch diameter pipes were made, to the dam site.
Engineering issues were not the only problems Holway faced. The Ku Klux Klan
Ku Klux Klan
Ku Klux Klan, often abbreviated KKK and informally known as the Klan, is the name of three distinct past and present far-right organizations in the United States, which have advocated extremist reactionary currents such as white supremacy, white nationalism, and anti-immigration, historically...
had become a powerful political force in Oklahoma by the 1920s. While Holway was assembling a 40-man team to oversee the Spavinaw project, three representatives of the Klan confronted him to demand that he fire three Roman Catholics. He refused to do so, even though he recognized one Klansman as his own banker. Knowing the Klan's reputation for violence, he thereafter kept a loaded weapon handy, even strapping it to the steering wheel of his car.
The Spavinaw system exceeded the original design requirements, which called for meeting Tulsa's water needs for 25 years. It actually could deliver 60 million gallons per day by gravity flow. Pumps and a second pipeline were added much later, to meet peak summertime consumption. By 2009, Tulsa still received over half of its water from the system Holway designed.
Pensacola Dam project
The Grand River Dam AuthorityGrand River Dam Authority
The Grand River Dam Authority is an Oklahoma agency created to control, develop, and maintain the Grand River waterway. It was created by the Oklahoma state legislature in 1935, and is headquartered in Vinita, Oklahoma. It operates three hydroelectric facilities and two reservoirs, Grand Lake...
selected Holway as the chief engineer for the Pensacola Dam
Pensacola Dam
The Pensacola Dam, also known as the Grand River Dam, is a multiple-arch buttress dam on the Grand River in-between Disney and Langley in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The dam is operated by the Grand River Dam Authority and creates Grand Lake o' the Cherokees...
(also known as Grand River Dam) project. This dam would create the Grand Lake o' the Cherokees
Grand Lake o' the Cherokees
Grand Lake o' the Cherokees is situated in Northeast Oklahoma, nestled in the foothills of the Ozark Mountain Range. The "o'" in the name of the lake stands for of not over. Grand Lake Of the Cherokees is the official name. It is often simply called Grand Lake...
in northeastern Oklahoma on the lower Neosho River
Neosho River
The Neosho River is a tributary of the Arkansas River in eastern Kansas and northeastern Oklahoma in the United States. Its tributaries also drain portions of Missouri and Arkansas. The river is about long. Via the Arkansas, it is part of the Mississippi River watershed.- Course :The Neosho's...
. Construction began in 1938 and was completed in 1941. At the time, this was the longest multiple-arch dam in the world.
Lake Eucha
In 1952, Lake EuchaLake Eucha
In 1952, Lake Eucha in Delaware County, Oklahoma, was created by completion of the Eucha dam on Spavinaw Creek. The nearest town is Jay, Oklahoma. This lake is owned by the City of Tulsa, Oklahoma and functions as additional storage and as a buffer for Lake Spavinaw, which is the principal...
was created by completion of the Eucha dam upstream from Lake Spavinaw. It functions as additional storage and as a buffer for Lake Spavinaw. W. R. Holway and Associates was in charge of engineering work for this project.
Personal life
As a boy, Holway was baptized in the West BarnstableWest Barnstable, Massachusetts
West Barnstable is a village or section in the northwest part of the City of Barnstable, Massachusetts. Once devoted to agricultural pursuits, West Barnstable now is largely residential.-Natural features:...
Congregational Church
Congregational church
Congregational churches are Protestant Christian churches practicing Congregationalist church governance, in which each congregation independently and autonomously runs its own affairs....
. He earned money by delivering milk, herding cows and working in his father's livery stable. He graduated from Sandwich Academy, attended Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College is a private, Ivy League university in Hanover, New Hampshire, United States. The institution comprises a liberal arts college, Dartmouth Medical School, Thayer School of Engineering, and the Tuck School of Business, as well as 19 graduate programs in the arts and sciences...
and Massachusetts Institute of Technology. While in high school, W. R. fell in love with Hope Kerr, who was seven years older than he. She had graduated from Radcliffe College
Radcliffe College
Radcliffe College was a women's liberal arts college in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and was the coordinate college for Harvard University. It was also one of the Seven Sisters colleges. Radcliffe College conferred joint Harvard-Radcliffe diplomas beginning in 1963 and a formal merger agreement with...
in 1910, then came to Sandwich to teach school. They married July 28, 1916, right after he had graduated from MIT.
Both of Holway's sons also graduated from MIT with a degree in civil engineering and joined their father in W. R. Holway and Associates. William Nye "Bill" Holway (1920–2007) succeeded his father as president of the consulting firm, which later was acquired by The Benham Group of Oklahoma City. Donal Kerr Holway (1917–2009) also spent his career in the family firm. The family firm continued to play a role in variety of water and power projects in the area.
Holway died in Tulsa on April 23, 1981.
Legacy
In 1921, W. R. Holway was a co-founder of All Souls Unitarian ChurchAll Souls Unitarian Church (Tulsa, Oklahoma)
All Souls Unitarian Church is a Unitarian Universalist church in Tulsa, Oklahoma. It is one of the largest UU congregations in the world....
in Tulsa. The church later grew to become the largest congregation in the Unitarian Universalist Association
Unitarian Universalist Association
Unitarian Universalist Association , in full the Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations in North America, is a liberal religious association of Unitarian Universalist congregations formed by the consolidation in 1961 of the American Unitarian Association and the Universalist Church of...
, and Holway's son Bill was instrumental in the founding of a spinoff UU church in south Tulsa.
W. R. Holway Reservoir, formerly known as Chimney Rock Reservoir, was named for this man. It is northwest of the town of Locust Grove, Oklahoma
Locust Grove, Oklahoma
Locust Grove is a town in Mayes County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 1,423 at the 2010 census compared to 1,366 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Locust Grove is located at ....
.
External links
- W. R. Holway. "Dams on the Grand River". Chronicles of Oklahoma 26:3 (1948) 329-334. (Accessed April 8, 2011.)