Eli Gallup was as Ann Arbor parks superintendent in 1919 and spent 38 years in that position expanding the city park system. The city bought Barton Dam, Argo Dam, Dixboro Dam, and Superior Dam, along with their ponds and adjacent river banks—more than 945 acres—from Detroit Edison. Much of the Huron River corridor has since been developed into parkland, including the large park named Gallup Park.