Hundreds Will Inspect New Sugar Beet Plant

From the "Spokane Chronicle."

October, 22, 1953

1944 Grand Coulee Dam View

It’s quite impressive what has changed since this photo was taken on May 31, 1944. While the dam is essentially the same, most everything on the dam side of the road through town has changed.  Notable is the Green Hut restaurant, just above the crossing of the railroad tracks and the highway, is now the site of the Visitor’s Center. Also note the railroad tracks bordering the water just opposite of the spillway. They were removed after the floods of May 1948, ending a popular tourist train ride. 

From The Coast To Coulee City--An Extension Of The Monte Cristo Railroad

From the "Spokesman Review."

June 26, 1903

Coulee City Mail Will Be By Train

From the "Spokane Chronicle."

May 14, 1940

Train Derailment Disrupts Line

From the "Spokesman Review."

February 22, 1982

US Construction Railroad Map

This map, drawn by the Bureau of Reclamation, was part of a set of specifications produced handed out to prospective bidders of the building of Grand Coulee Dam and all the support facilities. It provided those who were not familiar with the location of the dam the exact place it was to be built. The book provides exact measurements for every aspect of building the dam, including where the railroad was to be built.

Hopefully the map renders very large without having to click on it.

Dam Railroad Construction Photo

Photo courtesy of the Bureau of Reclamation.

Building of the Construction Railroad between Coulee City and Grand Coulee happened during the Great Depression, so labor was quite cheap and in abundance. Also, the line itself didn’t have a lot of heavy construction to complete the grade, so a few machines, some animals, and human labor were all that were needed to easily build the line. Note that the railroad ties are not treated with creosote, a normal railroad practice. This would increase the cost of construction, but prolong the life of the ties in the dry environment of the Grand Coulee area. The railroad wasn’t expected to last much beyond the construction of the dam. 

Plan To Build Steel Mill At Electric City

From the "Spokane Chronicle."

November 28, 1937

Grand Coulee Dam Car Skip

Photograph by the Bureau of Reclamation.

This unique photo shows the car-slip in operation during construction of Grand Coulee Dam in 1935. Built on the left abutment of the dam, this incline lowered or raised cars between the Construction railroad, at an elevation of 1310 feet, and the trestle deck, at an elevation of 1180 feet. It allowed critical loads of cement to be quickly placed near the mixing facility.

Photo below courtesy of the Hu Blonk Papers, EWU Archives, Image Number 5-36-11-A3: