Merwin Dam (also known as Ariel Dam) is a concrete arch gravity-type hydroelectric dam on the Lewis River, in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sove ...

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...

. It is located on the border between

Cowlitz County Cowlitz County is a county located in the U.S. state of Washington. As of the 2020 census, its population was 110,730. The county seat is Kelso, and its largest city is Longview. The county was formed in April 1854. Its name derives from the ...

and Clark County. Its reservoir is called

Lake Merwin Lake Merwin is a reservoir on the Lewis River (Washington), Lewis River in the U.S. state of Washington (state), Washington. It lies on the border between Clark County, Washington, Clark County and Cowlitz County, Washington, Cowlitz County. It was ...

. On November 24, 1971, the dam was fully lit allegedly giving the skyjacker

D. B. Cooper D. B. Cooper is a media epithet for an unidentified man who hijacked Northwest Orient Airlines Flight 305, a Boeing 727 aircraft operated by Northwest Orient Airlines, in United States airspace on November 24, 1971. During the flight from Portla ...

an identifiable landmark when he jumped from a

Boeing 727 The Boeing 727 is an American narrow-body airliner that was developed and produced by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. After the heavy 707 quad-jet was introduced in 1958, Boeing addressed the demand for shorter flight lengths from smaller airp ...

passenger liner. Cooper had ransomed 200,000 dollars from Federal Authorities after holding hostage the 727 and its passengers in Seattle.In Search Of..."D. B. Cooper" hosted by Leonard Nimoy, produced by Alan Landsburg c. 1979

References

Dams in Washington (state) PacifiCorp dams Hydroelectric power plants in Washington (state) Buildings and structures in Cowlitz County, Washington Buildings and structures in Clark County, Washington Dams completed in 1931 Energy infrastructure completed in 1931 Energy infrastructure completed in 1949 Energy infrastructure completed in 1958 Dams on the Lewis River (Washington) {{Hydroelectric-power-plant-stub