Our Daily Sykes #60 – Grand Coulee Twice From Behind

Horace Sykes visited Grand Coulee Dam a few times, both during and following its construction.  Here we have both.  The top view looks from the west (or southwest side of the pool) to the back of the dam when the top of its spillway was still not complete including the long and thrilling bridge that would cross it.  In the sunset view below Sykes looks to the northwest from the east (or northeast) side.   There the dam is complete.  Its principal structure was ready ahead of schedule in the spring of 1941, conveniently or strategically ready to supply power for the munitions factories during the Second World War.  Irrigation, one of the principal reasons Grand Coulee was built, was not a factor until well after the war when the big pumps, pipes, and canals were installed for irrigating large parts of the Columbia Basin.  (Click to Enlarge)

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