Cushman Dam No. 1

Cushman No. 1 Hydroelectric Power Plant
LocationMason County, Washington, USA
Nearest cityHoodsport, Washington
Coordinates47°25′23″N 123°13′21″W / 47.423063°N 123.222377°W / 47.423063; -123.222377
Area28 acres (11 ha)[2]
Built1924 (1924)
ArchitectTacoma Light Dept.
MPSHydroelectric Power Plants in Washington State, 1890--1938 MPS
NRHP reference No.88002759[1]
Added to NRHPDecember 15, 1988

Cushman Dam No. 1 is a hydroelectric dam on the North Fork of the Skokomish River in Mason County, Washington, which in derogation of the natural and treaty rights of the Native inhabitants impounded and enlarged the formerly natural Lake Cushman, leading to damage claims in excess of $5 billion and an eventual settlement agreement with the Skokomish tribe that terminates the right to operate the dam(s) after 2048. It was built by Tacoma City Light (now Tacoma Power) in 1924–1926. Tacoma's demand for electricity grew rapidly after World War I. Tacoma City Light's Nisqually River Hydroelectric Project, built in 1912, could not meet the demand and the utility decided to build a new hydroelectric project on the North Fork Skokomish River. The dam and powerhouse first began to deliver electricity on March 23, 1926.[3][4]

It has a concrete arch design and includes 90,000 cubic yards (69,000 m³) of concrete, covering a whole 6,244 feet (1,903 m) of water. Two 21,600 kilowatt generators provide 127 million kilowatt-hours annually to the Tacoma Power system.

Construction began on July 7, 1924, under the commissioner Ira S. Davisson. It has a top width of eight feet (2.4 m) and a base width of 50 feet (15 m), at 275 feet (84 m) high and 1,111 feet (339 m) long. The transmission of electricity to Tacoma, over lines crossing Tacoma Narrows, was dedicated on May 24, 1926 with the push of a button by President Calvin Coolidge in a ceremony at the White House. Although there was a fanciful claim by Davisson later that U.S. President Coolidge "touched the key" that "sent current pulsing from Washington, D.C. into the Olympic Mountains and set the huge turbines whirring,",[3] the current generated was not sent from Washington, D.C., and plant was in operation for two months before President Coolidge (on May 24) pressed a "special key" button at the White House to signal the official opening and celebration.[5] The generation of electricity on March 23, 1926, had been started "without ceremony or celebration" and residents of Tacoma were "unaware that the generation of power from the Cushman project had been realized".[6] A contemporary account noted that Davisson and superintendent Alvin F. Darland "threw the switches and made the connections which sent the mighty pulsations of electrical power speeding over the cables of the 42-mile transmission line into Tacoma."[4] A second, smaller dam, Cushman Dam No. 2, 3.2 kilometers (2.0 miles) downstream of Dam No. 1, was completed by December 1930.[7]

See also

References

  1. ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. April 15, 2008.
  2. ^ Soderberg, Lisa (October 23, 1986), National Register of Historic Places Registration Form: Cushman No. 1 Hydroelectric Power Plant (PDF), retrieved February 19, 2015.
  3. ^ a b "First Unit of Cushman Is in Service", The Tacoma (WA) Daily Ledger, March 24, 1926, p.1
  4. ^ "Tacoma Opens New Unit at Lake Cushman", Seattle Union Record, May 25, 1926, p.1
  5. ^ "Cushman Wheels Turn and 'Juice" Is Made"— Tacomans, Without Known It, Use Electricity From Their Brand New Plant", Tacoma (WA) News Tribune, March 24, 1926, p.1
  6. ^ "Cushman Hydroelectric Project Timeline" (PDF). Tacoma Power. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2009-05-08. Retrieved 2009-07-14.
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