Cushman Dam No. 1
Encyclopedia
Cushman Dam No. 1 is a hydroelectric dam
on the North Fork of the Skokomish River
in Mason County, Washington forming Lake Cushman
. 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 delivery electricity on February 12, 1926.
It has a concrete arch
design and includes 90,000 cubic yards (69,000 m³) of concrete, covering a whole 6,244 feet (1903 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. Davidsson (1918–1940). 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 activated, or "formally energized", on March 23, 1926, with the push of a button by President Calvin Coolidge
in a ceremony at the White House
.
A second, smaller dam, Cushman Dam No. 2
, was completed by December 1930.
Hydroelectricity
Hydroelectricity is the term referring to electricity generated by hydropower; the production of electrical power through the use of the gravitational force of falling or flowing water. It is the most widely used form of renewable energy...
on the North Fork of the Skokomish River
Skokomish River
The Skokomish River is a river in Mason County, Washington, United States. It is the largest river flowing into Hood Canal, an arm of Puget Sound. From its source at the confluence of the North and South Forks the main stem Skokomish River is approximately long. The longer South Fork Skokomish...
in Mason County, Washington forming Lake Cushman
Lake Cushman
Lake Cushman is a lake and reservoir on the north fork of the Skokomish River in Mason County, Washington. The lake originally was a long narrow broadening of the Skokomish River formed in a glacial trough and dammed by a terminal moraine from the last ice age, during the Vashon stade.The lake was...
. It was built by Tacoma
Tacoma, Washington
Tacoma is a mid-sized urban port city and the county seat of Pierce County, Washington, United States. The city is on Washington's Puget Sound, southwest of Seattle, northeast of the state capital, Olympia, and northwest of Mount Rainier National Park. The population was 198,397, according to...
City Light (now Tacoma Power
Tacoma Power
Tacoma Power is a public utility providing electrical power to Tacoma, Washington and the surrounding areas. Tacoma Power serves the cities of Tacoma, Fircrest, University Place, and Fife, and also provides service to parts of Steilacoom, Lakewood and unincorporated Pierce County...
) in 1924-1926. Tacoma's demand for electricity grew rapidly after World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. Tacoma City Light’s Nisqually River
Nisqually River
The Nisqually River is a river in west central Washington in the United States, approximately long. It drains part of the Cascade Range southwest of Tacoma, including the southern slope of Mount Rainier, and empties into the southern end of Puget Sound....
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 delivery electricity on February 12, 1926.
It has a concrete arch
Arch
An arch is a structure that spans a space and supports a load. Arches appeared as early as the 2nd millennium BC in Mesopotamian brick architecture and their systematic use started with the Ancient Romans who were the first to apply the technique to a wide range of structures.-Technical aspects:The...
design and includes 90,000 cubic yards (69,000 m³) of concrete, covering a whole 6,244 feet (1903 m) of water. Two 21,600 kilowatt generators provide 127 million kilowatt-hours annually to the Tacoma Power
Tacoma Power
Tacoma Power is a public utility providing electrical power to Tacoma, Washington and the surrounding areas. Tacoma Power serves the cities of Tacoma, Fircrest, University Place, and Fife, and also provides service to parts of Steilacoom, Lakewood and unincorporated Pierce County...
system.
Construction began on July 7, 1924, under the commissioner Ira S. Davidsson (1918–1940). 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
Tacoma Narrows
The Tacoma Narrows , a strait, is part of Puget Sound in the U.S. state of Washington. A navigable maritime waterway between glacial landforms, the Narrows separates the Kitsap Peninsula from the city of Tacoma....
, was activated, or "formally energized", on March 23, 1926, with the push of a button by President Calvin Coolidge
Calvin Coolidge
John Calvin Coolidge, Jr. was the 30th President of the United States . A Republican lawyer from Vermont, Coolidge worked his way up the ladder of Massachusetts state politics, eventually becoming governor of that state...
in a ceremony at the White House
White House
The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical...
.
A second, smaller dam, Cushman Dam No. 2
Cushman Dam No. 2
Cushman Dam No. 2 is a hydroelectric dam on the North Fork of the Skokomish River in Mason County, Washington, United States, forming Lake Kokanee. Built in 1930, its three 27,000 kilowatt generators provide 233 million kilowatt-hours annually to the Tacoma Power system. Along with Cushman Dam No...
, was completed by December 1930.