The R. G. LeTourneau Archives - Texarkana Dam Dedication

This 1950s footage captures the celebrations surrounding the opening of the Texarkana Dam, now known as the Wright Patman Dam, across the Sulphur River in northeast Texas. After a parade through the streets of Texarkana, a crowd gathers by the site for the dam’s dedication ceremony. Inventor and entrepreneur R. G. LeTourneau flies in from Longview for the occasion. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers used equipment manufactured by LeTourneau’s company, R. G. LeTourneau, Inc., to build the dam and reservoir. Congressman Wright Patman speaks at the event. The project was renamed in his honor in 1973.