Utah Construction Company, 1900
Edmund O., William H., and Warren L. Wattis
Feather River Railroad
Hoover Dam
Utah Construction Company (UCC) was founded in 1900 and quickly became one of the most important construction companies in Ogden. Thomas D. Dee served as the first president, and W.H. Wattis served as vice president and general manager. Other founding members were David Eccles, Matthew Browning, E.O. Wattis, and Warren L. Wattis.
In addition to general construction, UCC began working on railroad lines throughout the West. The Feather River Route from Oakland to Ogden was one of their first major projects and was completed in 1907. The company also began building small dams, work that would prepare them for their most important job, the Hoover Dam.
In the 1930s, UCC joined with other construction companies to form Six Companies. This large conglomerate won the bid to build Hoover Dam in 1931 and set about building a highway to the dam site, drilling diversion tunnels, and excavating the riverbed. Concrete pouring began in 1933, and the dam was not completed until 1935.
After successful completion of the dam, UCC began receiving federal contracts for other projects, including housing complexes, missile silos, bridges, railroads, and more dams. UCC also branched out globally, working in Mexico, Korea, Australia, France, and the Congo.
The company had varied interests, including ranches, mining operations, and shipping companies to move the iron and copper from their mines. In 1976 the company was sold to General Electric in what was then the largest corporate merger in U.S. history. Edmund Wattis Littlefield, grandson of E.O. Wattis, was president at the time. Marriner Eccles, son of David Eccles, was also on the board of directors.
David Eccles
Iron Springs, Cedar City, UT
Thomas D. Dee