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1948 Map of Grand Coulee Dam

Name: 1948 Topographic Map of Grand Coulee Dam
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1978
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1978

About this map

Grand Coulee Dam dominates this 1948 survey, standing as the centerpiece of a transformed landscape just years after its completion. The impounded waters of Franklin D Roosevelt Lake fill the canyon of the Columbia River, bordered to the north by the Colville Indian Reservation. This map captures the immediate post-war development around the dam site, including the town of Coulee Dam and the growing settlements of Grand Coulee and Elmer City.

Beyond the infrastructure of the Pumping Plant and Bonneville Power Transmission Lines, the map records the enduring rural character of the high desert. Genealogists and local historians can locate the Lafollette Cem, the Grand Coulee Grange, and small interior locales like Bagdad Junction and Klobuschar. The terrain is marked by deep draws and named landmarks such as Jack Woods Butte and Crown Point Vista, documenting the transition from a river-focused economy to one defined by reclamation and hydroelectric power.