More Columbia River

We visited and toured the Grand Coulee Dam, a true multipurpose structure. The dam controls what used to be the annual flooding of cities along the gorge, has the second largest hydroelectric generating capability in the world, and provides irrigation for over a million acres of fertile land now producing massive agricultural crops that used to be barren. When completed in 1941, the Grand Coulee Dam was both the largest construction project and the largest concrete structure in the world. In 2012, it was surpassed by the Three Gorges Dam on the Yangtze River in China. Interestingly, we have also been to that dam as well.

We learned that despite its achievement, the dam was not built without breaking some eggs – lots of eggs apparently. 14 towns and thousands of settler’s homesteads were submerged when the basin behind the dam filled. Sadly, despite the assurances that the federal government would assist everyone in their relocation, apparently little or none of that assistance actually came. In addition, at least a dozen sacred native burial sites are now under thousands of feet of water. Finally, the natives north of the dam were totally dependent on the abundant salmon both for food and as their primary trading medium. Sadly, despite trying to install fish ladders, it turns out the dam is too high, no salmon can spawn above it anymore, and the population of salmon in the Columbia River plummeted precipitously.

Every night the Bureau of Reclamation along with other government departments puts on a laser light show that covers the entire face of the dam. The show was technically well done and was very interesting to attend.

We wanted to visit Kettle Falls, one of the more famous of the submerged towns. However, it was some 65 miles upriver, and after doing some research, learned that there is really no way to visit the former town. There are some remnants that residents had relocated as the rising waters approached. However we decided that there might not have been enough compelling to warrant the 2 hour one way travel investment.

Talk to you soon!