An American History

And on up the river is Grand Coulee Dam,

The mightiest thing ever built by a man,

To run the great factories and water the land,

It’s, roll on, Columbia, roll on....

Your power is turning our darkness to dawn.

So, roll on, Columbia, roll on. ©

The Columbia River winds its way on a 1,200-mile course from Canada
through Washington and Oregon to the Pacific Ocean. Because of its steep
descent from uplands to sea level, it produces an immense amount of energy.
Residents of the economically underdeveloped Pacific Northwest had long
dreamed of tapping this unused energy for electricity and irrigation. But
not until the 1930s did the federal government launch the program of dam

Boise

Pocatello

Helena

Portland

Astoria

Tacoma

Seattle Spokane

Lewiston

Hells Ca(proposed)nyon Dam

McNary Dam(building)

Dams (Four Navigationauthorized)

John Day Dam(proposed)

BonneDamville The Dalles Dam(proposed)

Priest R(proposed)apids Dam

Rock Island Dam

Chief Joseph Dam(building)

Grand CDamoulee

Libb(proposed)y Dam

Albeni F(proposed)alls Dam

Hungry Horse Dam(building)

Glacier View(proposed) Dam

OREGON

WASHINGTON

IDAHO

MONTANA

CANADA

BI

TT

ER

RO

OT

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50
50
100 miles
100 kilometers
COLUMBIA RIVER BASIN PROJECT, 1949
A 1949 map of the Columbia River project, showing its numerous dams, including the Grand
Coulee, the largest man-made structure in the world at the time of its opening in 1941.
THE NEW DEAL ★^819