7 Things You Don’t Know About The Columbia River

The Columbia River is one of the more magnificent rivers in the United States. The river’s headwaters actually begin inside Canada, but the majority of it flows through Washington State and along the Washington-Oregon border before emptying into the Pacific Ocean. A great deal is known about this important natural resource, but here are 7 things you don’t know about the Columbia River.

1. 498 miles of the Columbia River’s total length of 1,243 miles is found in Canada.

2. Cape Disappointment marks the northern edge of the mouth of the Columbia River. It received its name from British Captain John Meares who had searched for the river, couldn’t find it, and determined that it didn’t exist.

3. More than 40 percent of all wheat that is exported from the entire United States is at one time or another barged down the Columbia River.

4. There are 14 hydroelectric dams that produce power on the Columbia River, three of them lie within the borders of Canada’s British Columbia.

5. Despite the fact that the Columbia River starts in Canada and flows south into Washington State, the first 200 miles of the river actually flows northwest from its source.

6. The largest dam on the Columbia River is the Grand Coulee Dam. The original planned height of the dam was to be between 200 and 300 feet, during construction the planned height of the dam was changed to 500 feet high.

7. The three Columbia River dams that are found inside Canada, Mica Dam, Duncan Dam and Hugh Keenleyside Dam, were all built in the late 1960s and early 1970s and were required as part of the Columbia River Treaty between the United States and Canada. They are all mainly used for water storage, although power production was enabled at two of the dams years after they were completed.

The Columbia River is a great source of hydroelectric power and recreational opportunities. It has developed into one of the more important resources that the Pacific Northwest has and is used to the benefit of the entire nation. There are a number of worthwhile attractions and locations to visit up and down the entire length of the Columbia River.

Grand Coulee Dam, at one time, was the largest dam in the world. The energy and agricultural irrigation resources provided by Grand Coulee Dam have been incredibly valuable to the entire North Central Washington State area. But, here are 7 Things You Don’t Know About: Grand Coulee Dam.

1. The Grand Coulee Dam is almost a mile long.
2. The original purpose of Grand Coulee Dam was to irrigate much of Central Washington, as World War II approached the primary use turned to the creation of electricity to assist in the war effort.
3. The reservoir behind Grand Coulee Dam is called Lake Roosevelt which stretches over 150 miles to the Canadian border.
4. Grand Coulee Dam actually creates two reservoirs, Lake Roosevelt and Banks Lake. Water behind Grand Coulee Dam is pumped uphill to fill Banks Lake which sits 280 feet above Lake Roosevelt.
5. Grand Coulee Dam is the largest concrete dam, and also the largest concrete structure, in North America.
6. The rising water behind Grand Coulee Dam forced the town of Kettle Falls to be relocated.
7. Initially the dam was planned to be shorter than it turned out to be, one of the reasons the design was changed to feature a taller dam was to create more jobs during the depression era.

Grand Coulee Dam has since been dwarfed by other dams around the world, but it remains a great accomplishment in history and a great place to visit.