The Northwest’s largest river system is the subject of a new exhibit at the Washington State History Museum #k5evening
TACOMA, Wash. — Since it was formed by great Ice Age floods 14,000 years ago, the Columbia River has been a source of life, food, hydroelectric power and much more.
“The Columbia is a big river with a big history,” says Laurel Overstreet, head curator of the Washington State History Museum’s exhibit “Big River: The Many Meanings of the Columbia,” which takes visitors on a 1,300-mile journey through history.
“It was home to people,” Overstreet says, “it was a trade network. It was a food source, and it still is for many people.”
The Columbia River once housed 10 million salmon, but since then dams have been built and the number is now 60.
“The Columbia River is kind of unique in that it changes elevation over its entire length,” Overstreet said, making it a very good candidate for hydroelectric power, which is why so many dams have been built.”
In the 1940s, folk singer Woody Guthrie was hired to write a song promoting the construction of the river’s most famous dam, Grand Coulee Dam.
“The mighty Grand Coulee Dam in Washington state is the greatest feat ever accomplished by man,” he sang.
“We had to convince people that this was a really good idea, and Woody Guthrie was part of that process,” Overstreet said.
Today, hydroelectric power provides more than half of the Northwest’s energy supply and is one of the reasons why Hanford, a then-rural area, played such a major role in the development of nuclear weapons.
But this exhibition doesn’t just look back at the past, it also raises questions that must be faced in the future.
“The big question is, who’s going to manage the river, who’s going to have a say, and how do we treat the river and how do we treat each other in the process of deciding what the future of the river is,” Overstreet said.
The exhibition will run until October 27, 2024.
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