Whether Hoover or Grand Coulee, I enjoy dam operations. The Bonneville Dam near Hood River, Oregon is a depression era construction with Art Deco styling. Completed in 1938, President Roosevelt opened the dam (1937). The fish ladder allows salmon up stream. The spillway are for their young to make it to the open sea. From fresh water to salt water. Eighteen generators make 1,200 MW; enough power for 900,000 homes.

The initial construction in 1938 produced eight generators. At that time there were those who said the region doesn’t require that much energy. The region grew and a second unit was built with ten more generators. The dam has enough ample power to supply the entire city or portland.

If your a traveler through the western United states, you tend to visit caves, dams, and ghost towns. These dams are interesting. What surprised me with Bonneville is that they built the fish ladder before the dam. Some hate these dams for environmental interruption. Points taken. But the machinery and operations are fascinating. It was also built when Roosevelt needed to put men to work. This is a National Recovery Act build that started in 1933 and completed in 1938, the most severe depression years.