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  • August

    photos of lower granite during construction and present day overlaid with eachother

    The end of a long journey: a history of Lower Granite Lock and Dam

    It was early in the morning and a steam-powered paddleboat made its way up the lower Snake River, trimmed with colored flags. The date was June 19, 1975, and the mood was festive. The vessel was heading for Lower Granite Lock and Dam, whose pool had been raised just four months prior.

  • June

    Little Goose was completed in 1970, though additional work would be done over the next several years. The most notable of these additions was the placement of three more turbine units, filling out the powerhouse. These units were completed in 1978. Little Goose is now 53 years old.

    Waiting in the wings: A history of Little Goose Lock and Dam

    By 1962, Ice Harbor Lock and Dam had been built and construction of the second lower Snake River dam, Lower Monumental, was being passed to the US Army Corps of Engineers Seattle District. The third dam in the queue was right on the heels of Lower Monumental, but construction could not begin until the details of its downstream neighbor were determined.

  • March

    Today, McNary is an essential part of the river highway that was envisioned before the formation of the Walla Walla District. It sits as the midpoint, the last lock on the Columbia before the mouth of the Snake River. With its 14 generator units, McNary is also an incredible source of hydropower, capable of producing 980-megawatts or enough electricity to power about 686,000 homes.

    A step towards navigable waters: A history of McNary Lock and Dam

    As people moved into the Pacific Northwest, communities grew around the rivers, especially the Columbia and Snake. Back then, the rivers were temperamental and hard to navigate. However, there was a vision to create a river highway, one that would allow barges to carry cargo from the Pacific Ocean to the confluence of the Snake and Clearwater rivers, 465 miles inland.