Gorge Dam is one of three along the upper

Skagit River The Skagit River ( ) is a river in southwestern British Columbia in Canada and northwestern Washington (state), Washington in the United States, approximately 150 mi (240 km) long. The river and its tributaries drain an area of 1.7&nbs ...

Whatcom County, Washington Whatcom County (, ) is a County (United States), county located in the northwestern corner of the U.S. state of Washington (state), Washington, bordered by the Lower Mainland (the Metro Vancouver and Fraser Valley Regional Districts) of the ...

, 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 the north of the U.S. state of Washington. The project is owned and operated by Seattle City Light to provide elect ...

that supplies

Seattle Seattle ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the 18th-most populous city in the United States. The city is the cou ...

with some of its power needs. Construction on the original wooden Gorge Dam began in 1921, with its 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, serving from 1923 to 1929. A Republican lawyer from Massachusetts, he previously served as the 29th vice presiden ...

on September 17, 1924. In 1961, a new Gorge High Dam, made of concrete, was completed to replace the original. A pivotal scene in the 1974 Warren Beatty film, ''

The Parallax View ''The Parallax View'' is a 1974 American political thriller film starring Warren Beatty, Paula Prentiss, Hume Cronyn, William Daniels, Kenneth Mars, Walter McGinn, Kelly Thordsen and Jim Davis in support. Produced and directed by Alan ...

'', was shot at this location. In 2020, the

Upper Skagit Indian Tribe The Upper Skagit Indian Tribe () is a List of federally recognized tribes in the contiguous United States, federally-recognized Indian tribe located in the U.S. state of Washington (state), Washington. The tribe is the successor-in-interest to ap ...

created an online petition calling for the removal of the Gorge Dam.

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Historic American Engineering Record Heritage Documentation Programs (HDP) is a division of the U.S. National Park Service (NPS). It administers three programs established to document historic places in the United States: Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS), Historic American E ...

(HAER) documentation, filed under Newhalem, Whatcom County, WA: ** ** 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 Dams completed in 1924 Dams completed in 1961 Energy infrastructure completed in 1924 Energy infrastructure completed in 1961 1924 establishments in Washington (state) {{Washington-struct-stub

See also

References

External links