The John L. Bacon papers include correspondence, finances, pamphlets, newspaper clippings, maps, published materials from the United States Congress, and other materials related to Bacon's work on the Colorado River Commission and the Boulder dam (aka Hoover dam) project. Other figures he worked and corresponded with include Elwood Mead, Charles B. Ward, John W. Ross, S. C. Evans, Col. William J. Donovan, Congressman Phil D. Swing, Earl C. Pound, F. H. McIver, W. B. Mathews, Ray L. Riley, and Francis C. Wilson, among others. Several notable entities and organizations represented within the collection include U.S. Congress, Federal Bureau of Reclamation, Colorado River Commission, Imperial Irrigation District, and Coachella Valley.