Gorge Dam is one of three dams along the upper
Skagit River
The Skagit River ( ) is a river in southwestern British Columbia in Canada and northwestern Washington in the United States, approximately 150 mi (240 km) long. The river and its tributaries drain an area of 1.7 million acres (690,000& ...
in
Whatcom County, Washington
Whatcom County is a county located in the northwestern corner of the U.S. state of Washington, bordered by the Canadian Lower Mainland (the Metro Vancouver and Fraser Valley Regional Districts of British Columbia) to the north, Okanogan Coun ...
and part of the
Skagit River Hydroelectric Project
The Skagit River Hydroelectric Project is a series of dams with hydroelectric power-generating stations on the Skagit River in northern Washington State. The project is owned and operated by Seattle City Light to provide electric power for the C ...
that supplies
Seattle
Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest regio ...
with some of its power needs. Construction on the original, wooden Gorge Dam began in 1921, with the generators formally started by
President Calvin Coolidge
Calvin Coolidge (born John Calvin Coolidge Jr.; ; July 4, 1872January 5, 1933) was the 30th president of the United States from 1923 to 1929. Born in Vermont, Coolidge was a Republican lawyer from New England who climbed up the ladder of Mas ...
on September 17, 1924. In 1961, a new Gorge High Dam, made of concrete, was completed to replace the original Gorge Dam.
In 2020, the
Upper Skagit Indian Tribe created an online petition calling for the removal of the Gorge Dam.
See also
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List of dams and reservoirs in Washington
This is a list of dams and reservoirs in the U.S. state of Washington, and pertinent data. According to the Washington State Department of Ecology, as of 2020 there were 1226 dams in the state. Of 39 counties, King County had the most dams, 125.
...
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Skagit River
The Skagit River ( ) is a river in southwestern British Columbia in Canada and northwestern Washington in the United States, approximately 150 mi (240 km) long. The river and its tributaries drain an area of 1.7 million acres (690,000& ...
References
External links
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Historic American Engineering Record
Heritage Documentation Programs (HDP) is a division of the U.S. National Park Service (NPS) responsible for administering the Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS), Historic American Engineering Record (HAER), and Historic American Landscapes ...
(HAER) documentation, filed under Newhalem, Whatcom County, WA:
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{{Authority control
Dams in Washington (state)
Seattle City Light dams
Buildings and structures in Whatcom County, Washington
Historic American Engineering Record in Washington (state)
Hydroelectric power plants in Washington (state)
United States power company dams
Dams on the Skagit River