The photograph looks across the Columbia River at Grand Coulee Dam, with water pouring through the spillway and a long powerhouse range at the base. Rocky benches and the reservoir behind frame the concrete dam. Construction began in 1933 and the dam was completed in 1942 as the centerpiece of a federal Columbia Basin irrigation and hydropower project. The town of Coulee Dam grew beside the construction site, and the spillway was in use by the early 1940s, when this view was likely made.
Black-and-white photo with white border; blue vertical line/scratch near center; printed caption at bottom.
No postmark. Divided-back real-photo card, white border, matte (other) texture. Grogan Photo Company imprint (Danville, Ill.) with 'THIS IS A GENUINE PHOTOGRAPH' along the divider; 'E. J. Heysel, Coulee Dam' printed vertically along the left edge. Pencil notation '2- RMLT' at top left and a small 'K' at bottom center; no stamp, no address.
Cite this card
Grand Coulee Dam spillway, Coulee Dam, WA, circa 1942, postcard, c. 1942. PostalPast Collection. https://postalpast.com/postcard/grand-coulee-dam-spillway-coulee-dam-wa-circa-1942. Accessed November 2, 2026.
