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RECREATION
The Grand Coulee Dam Area has such varied geography that it provides a natural setting for all kinds of recreation. It is small wonder that each year more and more people come to enjoy the tourist and recreational facilities afforded by this area.
Grand Coulee Dam is, no doubt, the main attraction. The world's largest hydroelectric generators, the largest cranes,, and upon completion of the third powerhouse project, the world's largest hydroelectric generating capacity are all associated with the huge structure. Thousands each year come to see it, take the guided tour in the summer, or all year long, leisurely follow a self-guided tour route. In 1976 construction has begun on a new visitor arrival center, below where the Green Hut used to sit. Preliminary plans call for elaborate informational displays to be provided inside the huge multi-windowed, circular building from which associated tours will be run. This $1,657,000 center is due to be finished in May 1977.
Besides sightseeing, almost every type of recreation is available here. Through our schools and numerous clubs one may delve into athletics, arts and crafts, music, and many other hobbies. Lytle Samsel reports a great increase in local flying interest since the new airport was completed. Many local residents, including the A. J. and Don Gerard families, the Frank Broers, and Roy Weitzels snowmobile in winter and often via these machines, enjoy the sweeping white panorama from atop Mount Moses. In summer these same people are often found camping, fishing, or participating in water related activities. True western pageantry can be enjoyed at Indian celebrations held at Nespelem each July.
Tourists find the area here abounds in facilities for water sport. The incessant parade of out-of-the-area cars, campers, boats, trailers, and motor homes parked along, or driving our highways is evident and local residents join with them.
The Coulee Dam National Recreation area is comprised of Roosevelt Lake and a narrow strip of land adjacent to the lake shore. Superintendent Bill Burgen and Chief Ranger Paul Larson are headquartered at their main building in Coulee Dam. Their large district extends nearly to Canada with nearby Spring Canyon District Manager, Lee Dillon caring for that popular park. The Fort Spokane and Kettle Falls Districts are locally supervised by Tom Bredow and Don Carney respectively looking after these two upper districts. Roberta Seibel, Park Naturalist, stated "Last year's visitation was about 500,000. We expect approximately 600,000 visitors to use the Coulee Dam National Recreational Area in 1976."
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Steamboat Rock State Park, with its steadily improving facilities, has become a very popular place. The addition of Northrup Canyon has provided an extra large beautiful area for picnicking and hiking. Gary Herron, Steamboat Rock park manager, reported that the first six months' estimated attendance, based on a formula used by the State showed 71,613 visitors in 1976. The new facilities at Steamboat Rock State Park have made it a favorite family-fun place.
Improvements made in local facilities, and those contemplated for the future are prompted by the knowledge that tourism, and sport fishing and hunting are important aspects of the local economy. Oscar Skaar, Executive Secretary of the Grand Coulee Chamber of Commerce, reported that he'd recently received an inquiry from far away Baton Rouge, Louisiana regarding recreational possibilities. he further reported, "In Grant County, according to the State Department of Economic Development, 11 percent of the retail sales dollars come from tourism. No doubt the percentage is much higher here."
Dr. Maurice Bryant, President of the Coulee Dam Chamber of Commerce, remarked recently concerning possible improvements in the Grand Coulee Dam Area in regard to beautification. "I personally am very much in favor of having trees planted in memory of a loved one instead of sending flowers to a funeral. A tree planted with a proper small placque at its base in a public access area such as our new North Dam Park would provide some much more lasting enjoyment."
Improvements in our area's recreational facilities have not just occurred in places where you can see them. For instance, at Banks Lake, a lot has taken place below the water line. For those who care to fish, there are over 21 species of fish which can be taken year around. The season never closes on Banks Lake.
Another improvement not seen by the casual eye is the abundance of deer in our area. When this country was first settled there were almost no deer here, and very few deer east of the confluence of the Snake and Columbia. Now, thanks to the efforts of the State Game Department, Mule Deer are hunted annually, and the White Tail further to the north are also added to the hunter's annual bag. Deer, pheasants, quail, and migratory water fowl have all prospered under the watchful eye of the Department of Game.
It should be mentioned here that none of the facilities here will remain any better than the people who use and maintain them. In order for the things that we have to remain worth having, they must be cared for by
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responsible people who are concerned with the future of Recreation in our area. One person who has given unstintingly of himself in order that the young people of the area may partake to the fullest extent of the outdoor sport of hunting is L. E. Grimes of Coulee Dam, Washington. Anyone under the age of 16 must complete a State required Hunter Safety Course in order to legally purchase a hunting license. Mr. Grimes has for almost twenty years given these courses in our area and has in that time taught upwards of eleven hundred students. Mr. Grimes stated: "Before the Hunter Safety Course was instituted, Washington State recorded between 14 and 20 gun or hunting related deaths annually. Now with the course, we have that number down to two or three a year, and we are still counting. I've never received a penny for this. All I want to know is that these kids are learning the proper handling of guns when they go afield, and while they are out there to have as much fun as I do."
Yes, we are fortunate for the lovely area in which we live. We are also very fortunate for people in our area who care enough to work to keep it that way.
Helen Rinker
and Jay Weber
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FISHING YESTERDAY AND TODAY IN THE GRAND COULEE DAM AREA
Earliest memories I have of going fishing was the summer of 1924 when hordes of grasshoppers took the crops in this area. My folks, Ben and Edna Alling and their friends Bill and Fanny Harrison of Nespelem, took a camping outfit and their families to Owhi Lake, which was open to public fishing, and spent several weeks enjoying the good Eastern Brook trout fishing.
Next, I remember going to McGinnis lake where Perry Brooks had boats for rent and the Eastern Brook trout were bigger than pan size. They were caught on a Jack Lloyd, Dave Davis and other multiple spoons with worms trolled behind the boats as you rowed. At night during the dark of the moon, Dad and other fishermen used a big Bass fly, all of them being very careful not to let the light of the lantern or flashlight shine into the water. As soon as the moon came up, the fish stopped hitting the flies.
Other lakes in the area were Northrup Lake and Devils lake in the Grand Coulee where you could catch Bass, perch, and Blue Gill. Below the present site of Grand Coulee Dam there was fishing for Whitefish, and occasionally Rainbow trout, and maybe a rare roving Sturgeon in the Columbia River. Up river near the Keller Ferry crossing at the mouth of the San Poil River, we caught steelhead in October and November. Salmon were seen in the river, the bay
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across from Barry Ferry was a rest stop for migrating salmon. The Salmon Days celebration at Keller in early days was in honor of the return of the spawning Salmon run up the San Poil river.
Dad built a metal boat that he used for fishing in the summer of 1933 out of galvanized sheet iron. Bill Canady, Johnny Johnson and Dad all enjoyed a good fishing trip together. They would take the boat down to Blue Lake when the road ended just short of where the rest area is located on the north end of the Lake. Blue Lake and Park Lake were fished mostly for Perch, Sunfish and the few big old Rainbows.
Lake Roosevelt, the reservoir behind Grand Coulee Dam, now produces good fishing for Rainbow trout, Walleye Pike, and Coho Salmon. Banks Lake, the equalizing reservoir, has Rainbow, Whitefish, Perch, Crappie, Blue Gills, Catfish, Ling Cod and Coho Salmon. Slivers were planted in the early years of the reservoir and reproduce in the lake. The Bass fishing was excellent during the first few years when the reservoir was filling, good sized ones are still caught and Bass Clubs hold contests on Banks Lake. In 1974, an experiment was conducted of raising fingerling Salmon in a protective enclosure set in the lake near Electric City. They were fed daily until they were large enough to have a good chance of survival and then turned loose. In Lake Rufus Woods, behind Chief Joseph Dam many of the same species of fish are found. The main sport at this end of the reservoir is fishing for Walleye Pike and some beauties have been caught just down river from Grand Coulee Dam.
During the forties and early fifties every spring for years the little Silver Salmon, Silvers, would make a run down river and come through the generators or over the falls of the Grand Coulee Dam. Their backs would be broken or were otherwise injured, but still alive and would float near the surface of the water. Licensed fishermen were allowed to take a dipnet and race the sea gulls for the Silvers. A few ingenious fellows made traps and nets which they lowered from the bridge to pick up the floating bounty. Where the run of Silvers began was always a mystery.
Lucky are the fishermen who live in this area where the three reservoirs are open to fishing all year. Ice fishing is very popular on Banks Lake in the winter -- only a short drive to McGinnis and/or Buffalo lakes for top trout fishing -- a few more miles over the mountains and there is good stream fishing -- or head south into the Columbia Basin for fishing in the many seep lakes.
George Alling
and
Edith Alling
1976
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HUNTING AND TRAPPING IN THE GRAND COULEE DAM AREA
Hunting and trapping were not just sport in the homestead days, they were means of supplementing the family's food and money supply. The choice of birds and animals was not as large as at the present time. Both Mule Deer and Whitetail Deer were seen occasionally. Native birds were the Prairie Chicken, or Sharp Tailed Grouse, the Sage Hen, which wasn't widely scattered since it would stay only in certain areas. Blue Grouse and Ruffed Grouse were found along the river breaks in areas of scattered evergreens, usually near a spring.
The winter time activity of trapping brought in good pelts from coyotes, bobcats, badgers, and skunks. The population of muskrats seemed to boom during the World War II years, and in the years following when the water table was high and the small lakes stayed full. A few colonies of beaver were in some of the larger stream areas and along the river banks.
Migrant waterfowl were hunted in the fall as they stopped to feed in the grain fields. Not only did the housewife prize them for roasting, but the feathers were kept, washed and put into one of the many featherbeds it took to keep the family warm in the winter. The Curlews were also hunted for food in the early days.
Over the recorded years, quite a number of bears have wandered through the area. Several have been bagged in the Rex Delrio area. They would swim the river as would the deer. Before Grand Coulee Dam was built, the river would freeze over during most winters, and the game and predators would move freely back and forth.
In the spring of 1939, the Washington State Game department brought a truck load, estimated at eighteen, Mule Deer and turned them loose at the head of China Creek. They introduced the Hungarian Partridge to this area in the early 1920's. Chukkars were planted on the Alling ranch in 1939. Chinese Pheasants and California quail were brought in during the 1930's.
Any homesteader with a flock of barnyard fowl, a band of sheep or litter of little pigs to protect, was death on all four legged predators and also Chicken hawks, Horned Owels and Eagles.
An unusual animal wanders into this area occasionally such as the moose who lived in the Delrio area for several months in the fall of 1975. Sam and Helen Rinker drove out to check their wheat field in may, 1969, and discovered a lone buffalo grazing there. It has wandered over from a ranch herd near Monse, was far from being a domesticated animal. It was August before she was captured and trucked back to Okanogan County. A Timber
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Wolf was shot by ranchers in North Douglas County when it was found harrassing cattle in the winter of 1974. A wolverine was trapped by Doodles Stewart in November, 1973, on the Colville Indian Reservation.
Evidence that Big Horned Sheep once roamed the area has been found by several people. George Trefry told of having an old skull of a Big Horn that he used for a door stop at his cabin. William Sherman Scott found a skull of a Big Horn up on Steamboat Rock. Bill and Tom meyers found some near the Coulee Wall. George Alling found one at an old Indian campsite along the river at Alameda Flats.
Edith Alling
1976
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