46 years ago today, Sept. 8th, 1971- my parents moved to Coulee Dam; from Fife Washington. My Dad worked on the 3rd powerhouse as a carpenter. I had to look on the map to see where it was and I finished my last two years of high school there. I really met some special people there, including my wife who I married in 1974- over 43 years ago. Its been interesting to hear of some of the history of Grand Coulee Dam from our 50 year class reunion site- I added a few photos of that area to an old Woodie Guthrie song that would be played before KFDR radio went of the air at sunset each night. The government actually paid Woodie to write this song- guess I can only hope I get paid for making this video.
Above-This was what the Dam looked like most of the time we lived there in High School- I actually never worked on Dam; my dad and my brother did. And we actually did not arrive in Coulee Dam until Sept. 10th as the mobile home mover decided to leave us 17 miles short of Coulee Dam due to another flat tire. We slept across from the now Steamboat Rock Entrance and my dad arranged for a mover from Wenatchee to haul us the rest of the way in.
I don't recall how coulee dam looked before the Dam was built, so here is a photo for us to see. Not sure the year taken? 
this was done before I moved there-so can't blame that on me
Jan and I taken in 1973, below Dam
Here are five fun facts about this very cool place to visit.
1. Grand Coulee Dam measures in at 550 feet high from base to top. The original plan was for a low dam to be built that would be just over half that high at 290 feet tall. At that height, it would’ve produced electricity but would not have contributed to the irrigation system that the surrounding area relies on.
2. Due to the rising water behind Grand Coulee Dam, known now as Lake Roosevelt or Franklin Delano Roosevelt Lake, more than 3,000 people had to be relocated, many of them Native Americans.
3. The reservoir behind Grand Coulee was officially recognized as full on June 1, 1942 when the first water flowed over the dam’s spillway.
4. The Columbia River Treaty is a treaty between the United States and Canada that allows for water storage where backed up water of the Columbia River behind Grand Coulee Dam extends north of the Canadian’s border.
5. 1952 saw the United States Post Office issue a commemorative Grand Coulee Dam stamp with a face value of three cents.
1. Grand Coulee Dam measures in at 550 feet high from base to top. The original plan was for a low dam to be built that would be just over half that high at 290 feet tall. At that height, it would’ve produced electricity but would not have contributed to the irrigation system that the surrounding area relies on.
2. Due to the rising water behind Grand Coulee Dam, known now as Lake Roosevelt or Franklin Delano Roosevelt Lake, more than 3,000 people had to be relocated, many of them Native Americans.
3. The reservoir behind Grand Coulee was officially recognized as full on June 1, 1942 when the first water flowed over the dam’s spillway.
4. The Columbia River Treaty is a treaty between the United States and Canada that allows for water storage where backed up water of the Columbia River behind Grand Coulee Dam extends north of the Canadian’s border.
5. 1952 saw the United States Post Office issue a commemorative Grand Coulee Dam stamp with a face value of three cents.
