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Grand Coulee Dam: Located on the Colombia River in Eastern Washington, 90 West of Spokane WA, 230 Miles East of Seattle WA, and 100 Miles South of the Canadian Border.
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The Grand
Coulee Dam
The pioneering farmers of Central Washington faced an obstacle of inadequate rainfall. Fertile fields would be productive if water could be diverted to the area, leading to the proposal of building a concrete dam across the Columbia River. This would raise the water level and divert it south into the Grand Coulee, an immense natural channel in Eastern Washington. The Bureau of Reclamation was placed in charge of the Grand Coulee project, and still operating it today. On July 16, 1933, an enthusiastic crowd of 3,000 witnessed the first stake being driven into place, initiating the greatest engineering endeavor yet undertaken. Although pioneer settlers lived and farmed the area, the project attracted thousands of men and women to work during the Great Depression era. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt authorized $60 million to get the dam project started which eventually would bring electricity to 11 western states and irrigation to over 500,000 acres of farmland in the Columbia Basin.

The Grand Coulee Dam stands as a monumental achievement of the determination, success and risks of the thousands who contributed to the creation of this giant.

Top "10" Facts About The Dam
  • Largest concrete dam in North America.
  • 3rd largest producer of electricity in the world.
  • Length: 5,223 ft.; Height above bedrock: 550 ft.; Spillway width: 1,650 ft.
  • Total concrete: 11,975,521 cubic yards
  • Primary function: hydropower, flood control, irrigation, fish & wildlife, recreation
  • 4 power plants (Bonneville Dam: 2 and Hoover Dam: 1).
  • 33 generators (Bonneville Dam: 21 and Hoover Dam: 17)
  • One of the modern engineering wonders of the world
  • The first water spill over the dam was on June 1, 1942.
  • The first laser light show was in May of 1989.
Guided Daily Tours

The 3rd Power House Tour at Grand Coulee Dam is OPEN
Tour Times: Daily  10Am, Noon, 2Pm and 4PM  



For More Information Call (509) 633-9265 )

Visitor Arrival Center Movies, Exhibits
and Features 7 days a week  Is OPEN !!

      Films are available for Viewing in the Upstairs Theater.
       All Films Below are Available upon Request anytime from a Tour Guide.

  • "A Century of Water for the West ",   14 MINUTES
     
  • "The Great Floods, Cataclysms of the Ice Age ",  14 MINUTES
     
  • "Grand Coulee Dam",  51  MINUTES  
     
  • "SCULPTED BY FLOODS",  57 MINUTES 
 
GRAND COULEE DAM VISITOR ARRIVAL CENTER HOURS
DateTime OpenLaser Show
Feb 1, '2004  - May 23,  ’20049:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.Out of Season
May 29th - July 31,  ’20048:30 a.m. to 11:00 p.m.10:00 p.m. Nightly
August 1-31,  ’20048:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m.9:30 p.m. Nightly
September 1-7, '20048:30 a.m. to   9:30 p.m.8:30 p.m. Nightly
September 8, '2004  - Nov 30,  ’2004Closed for ConstructionOut of Season
Dec 1, '2004  - Jan 31,  ’2005CLOSED. Out of Season
The GCD Visitors Arrival Center is Open 7 days a week.

Grand Coulee Dam Area Information and everything about The Grand Coulee Dam.





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