Dam Progression
On August 18, 1949, Seattle City Light completed work on Ross Dam, located on the Skagit River in Whatcom County. The dam and Ross Lake, which was created by rising waters behind the structure, were named in honor of J. D. Ross, the "Father of City Light," who sought to secure and construct the hydroelectric project on the Upper Skagit River.
Ross was named head of City Light in 1911 one year after the utility became an independent city department. Prior to that, Ross supervised construction of the Cedar River hydroelectric project, and in his new positon he set his sights on the Skagit River and its potential to help expand the city's power grid. In 1921, Gorge Dam – the first of three dams on the river -- was completed, and three years later it transmitted its first hydroelectric power to the city.
To promote public support of the hydroelectric project, Ross instituted public tours of the dams, which included an overnight stay at Newhalem, the town built to house City Light workers. In 1930, Diablo Dam was completed, and at 395 feet it was the world's highest at the time. When Ross died in 1939, Seattle radio station KOL memorialized him with a coast-to-coast broadcast of The Romance of Power, a half-hour program produced live at the Skagit River. In 1961, a new Gorge High Dam was completed to replace the original Gorge Dam.
Today, the Skagit River Hydroelectric Project supplies approximately 20 percent of Seattle City Light's power requirements, and was the first large hydroelectric facility in the nation to be certified as a Low Impact Hydropower Project by the Low Impact Hydropower Institute. The project also contributes to the vast Northwest Power Pool, which delivers huge amounts of reliable electricity to most of the region.
Jam Session
This week marks a variety of musical anniversaries, the first of which occurred on August 20, 1925, when an outdoor concert in Seattle by world-famous opera diva Mme. Schumann-Heink was cut short by a tugboat blast. But on August 21, 1964, when KJR disc jockey Pat O'Day introduced the Beatles to more than 14,300 fans inside the Seattle Center Coliseum, their screams and shouts were as loud as the music, if not louder. Two years later, the Beatles returned to Seattle and rocked the Coliseum again.
Another event of note took place on August 20, 1933, when students from Seattle's new National Institute of Music and Arts, Inc. presented a major open-air concert at Seattle's Volunteer Park. Decades later, Washington's musical scene was still vibrant, but quite different. On August 17, 1984, Seattle's "underground" hip-hop scene broke out into the mainstream with a big gig at Seattle Center. And on August 20, 1991, nearly 20 all-girl rock groups, female-led bands, and female solo artists performed during an evening of punk and alternative rock music at Olympia’s Capitol Theater. The event was a pivotal moment in the Riot Grrrl movement.
