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1948 Map of Grand Coulee Dam

Name: 1948 Topographic Map of Grand Coulee Dam
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1970
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1970

About this map

The Grand Coulee Dam stands as the central monument of this post-war landscape, marking a massive transformation of the Columbia River into the sprawling Franklin D Roosevelt Lake. This 1948 survey captures the era when the new reservoir had recently redefined the geography of Lincoln, Grant, and Okanogan counties, while much of the surrounding plateau remained characterized by high-desert draws and isolated landmarks. The map details the emerging company towns of Coulee Dam and Grand Coulee, alongside older or smaller settlements like Elmer City and Seaton.

Beyond the water, the plateau reveals a rural infrastructure of family-named features and early power development, including the Bonneville Power Transmission Lines crossing the terrain. Local history is preserved in sites such as Lafollette Cam, Jack Woods Butte, and the Grand Coulee Grange. North of the reservoir, the Colville Indian Reservation spans the rugged canyon country of Kwel Kwel Canyon and Heils Canyon, providing a look at the landscape just before mid-century modernization fully took hold.