Friday, June 17, 2011

After Work

We took a trip to Grand Coulee Dam a few weeks ago. In the town of Coulee Dam, there is a small park with a piece of sculpture. The dam is in the background.

Ground breaking on the dam started on July 16, 1933 and officially completed on January 31, 1943. Approximately 8,800 people worked on the project at it's peak. The payroll for the dam was among the largest in the nation. The Bureau of Reclamation Histories employment figures from 1933 to 1939 put the total man-hours at 37,000,119 and compensation at $34,650,244 - an average of $.93 per hour! Construction conditions were dangerous and 77 workers died. Women were allowed to work only in the dorms and the cookhouse.

After Work
In Honor of All Those Who Worked at Grand Coulee Dam
Dedicated July 4, 1999
Made by Rich Beyer and Steve Love

Note: Information about the dam's workforce came from many different sources on the web. While it is easy to find information about the dam itself, I had to do some digging to find out more about the people who built it.

4 comments:

Dave Wenning said...

Wonderful photo! Recall this was a job stimulus program after the Depression. Locally, our beautiful little Deception Pass Bridge was another. Not only jobs, but things of lasting value and beauty were created. Today, we just wait for tax cuts to kick in. We've been waiting 30 years. Maybe next week?

Sylvia K said...

What a terrific capture, Sally! Somehow they seemed to have dealt better and more effectively with the Depression than we have with our own Recession! What happened to progress????? Hope you have a great weekend!

Sylvia

Gaelyn said...

I really like the sculpture to commemorate the People responsible for this mass construction project which once finished we often forget about who made it possible.

Pat Tillett said...

Great photo and thanks for the facts.
If OSHA had existed back then, the dam still wouldn't be done...