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Home Historic Hood River Shiny New Dam

Historic Hood River

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« Halloween at the Bartmess Home
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Shiny New Dam

11-1-2021
Shiny New Dam

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Notes

Alva Day must have been pretty excited about the Bonneville Dam project, given the number of dams he visited earlier in his life. He took this photo of the Bonneville Dam in December 1937. The first powerhouse was completed in 1937 and the dam had just started generating power.

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Tags: 1930s, Alva Day, Bonneville, dam, electricity

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. MaryBartmessKramer

    1st November 2021 @ 08:21 AM

    The property that the dam is built on was owned by Sam Hill, who also owned Maryhill further up the Columbia. The government bought that from Sam Hill.

  2. nels

    1st November 2021 @ 09:20 AM

    What is the building to the right? I'm assuming this is looking upstream so that is Oregon on the right?

  3. Bill Seaton

    1st November 2021 @ 09:32 AM

    My step-grandfather, John Walker, was a guard at this dam during World War II.

  4. ArthurB

    1st November 2021 @ 10:19 AM

    nels, I think you got twisted around. We're looking downstream from below the Toothrock Tunnel.

    I've added a current Google Maps view.

  5. L.E.

    1st November 2021 @ 01:39 PM

    I think you are looking at Hamilton Mtn. on the left. Aldrich Butte in the middle and Table Mtn on the right.

    I suspect with Alva Day's love of power poles, producing more electric energy was exciting for him. On the other hand, who knows how he felt about the Columbia River totally changing in appearance and flow.

  6. cg

    1st November 2021 @ 04:57 PM

    I think I read about Mona Bell in John Tuhy”s biography of Sam Hill and always try to guess where this mansion was when passing Bonneville today. Suspect it was visible in my childhood but of course I didn't know the story. https://www.thebridgeofthegods.com/2020/10/26/332717/the-mansion-on-bonneville-rock

  7. Kenn

    2nd November 2021 @ 04:13 PM

    Foundation of Mona Bells mansion remain on the hill on the north side of 84, and flowers still bloom each year.

  8. Arlen L Sheldrake

    2nd November 2021 @ 04:34 PM

    we need a picture Kenn…..

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