At the time of its completion in 1925, the Tieton Dam was the highest earthfill dam in the world. "Two of the foremost engineers in Western water development, Frank Crowe and Frank Weymouth, were involved in its construction." [CH2M Hill 1984: 17]. Several innovative construction methods involving the use of tunnels and shafts were applied to excavate the core wall, for deep excavations and unconsolidated rock surfaces made open trenching an impossibility. An important unit of the Bureau of Reclamation's Yakima Project, the Tieton Division is a series of storage dams, including the Tieton Dam, and complex conveyance systems that opened large areas of dry shrubland to irrigation and permanent settlement. The success of this project spurred development of irrigated agriculture throughout central and eastern Washington. The Tieton Dam was determined to be eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places in 1983.