Gloria L. Atkins passed away Friday, November 29, 2019 as a result of a car accident. © Copyright 2020. The Columbia River roared, the generators in the Grand Coulee Dam began to whir, and the mile-long dam put the nation’s fourth-largest river to … She has many grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and great great grand children the youngest was entering the world as she was leaving. That same year, the Strate family also purchased Bill Robertson Funeral Home in Wilbur. Strate Funeral Home, Grand Coulee, is in charge of arrange- ments. She loved them all and will be greatly missed. In 2009, a 30-foot tsunami in Grand Coulee Dam’s reservoir caused only natural and property damages. The Palmer family would like to give a special thank you to the many medical teams that helped during her final months and to the excellent care from everyone at St. Joseph's Hospital. Earl was born in Tonasket, Washington… Posted on May 27, 2020 Former Grand Coulee resident Ima Jean Gordon, 93, passed away the early morning hours of Saturday, Oct. 24, 2020. The oldest Strate Funeral Home is located on 10th street in Davenport. He originally contracted with the Grand Coulee American Legion, but it seems that the Legion commander disappeared about the same time as the funds collected to pay for the monument. Copper programs for the dedication ceremony had been sold to raise the money. I located a news item in the. Reminder: Please note: This group will no longer allow the posting of ANY type of gun for sale. Grand Coulee Dam is a concrete gravity dam on the Columbia River in the U.S. state of Washington, built to produce hydroelectric power and provide irrigation water. Box 150Grand Coulee, WA 99133Ph: (509) 633-1350 or Toll-free: (888) 633-1350star@grandcoulee.com, © 2021 Star Publishing, Inc. DBA The Star, Powered by ROAR Online Publication Software from Lions Light Corporation She resided in Chewelah, Washington, and Coulee Dam, Washington. Gloria was born March 28, 1949 in Nespelem, Washington to Joseph and Lorraine (Sam) Atkins. During that time, records for the largest pour of concrete in a single day occurred, challenges were overcome with unique and innovative solutions, and 77 lives were lost during the construction of the original part of the dam. John “Johnny” Whalawitsa (63) passed away Sunday, May 7, 2017 in Coulee Dam, Washington. Celebrate and remember the lives we have lost in Coulee Dam, Washington. Since finding that initial article, I discovered that between 1933 and 1953 there were 77 men killed working on the Grand Coulee Dam Project. In April 1938 John Citkovich, well-known monument maker of Colville, was commissioned by the Grand Coulee American Legion to create a monument to honor those who died during the construction of the Grand Coulee Dam. By this time, 49 men had been killed on the project. No one could tell me where the monument actually sat for two years. As a researcher for the Northeast Washington Genealogical Society in Colville, I came across an intriguing story that I want to share with you in hopes you can help me find the ending to the story. Hunter Rolin Smith Smith, Hunter Rolin (Age 3 months 3 days) Born January 12, 2004 in Spokane, passed away Thursday, April 15, 2004 in Spokane Valley. Foundation Failure. He said that ‘he would much rather leave the monument as a lasting memorial to the heroism of those who have given their lives to make possible the largest structure ever built by man,” and so he agreed to wait until the first of July. The city of Grand Coulee and various civic organizations and unions asked him to give them a little time in which to raise the money (again). Phone: (509) 633-3074. Olive Ann and Howard were married 57 years until his death in 2003. She resided in Chewelah, Washington, and Coulee Dam, Washington. Howard had graduated from Grand Coulee High School the year before Olive Ann and entered the U.S. Air Corps. He was born November 16, 1934, in Wilmington, North Carolina. Mavis started in the typing pool and over the years rose to become the Personnel Officer for the Third Power Plant project at Grand Coulee Dam. During the summer of 1946, Howard returned to Coulee Dam with a specific mission – find Olive Ann Roberts. GRAND COULEE DAM AREA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE. But by May 1940 (another year later), he still hadn’t been paid. The “Business and Professional Women’s clubs of Grand Coulee, Mason City, and Electric City have indicated that they will begin a campaign to raise funds to pay for the monument.” Meanwhile the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation had “approved the monument and has given its consent for the memorial to be taken from its present location and moved to either end of the dam.”, With the monument back in Colville, a news item appearing in the. The monument faced the river and stood on a little knoll across from the flat area just east of where the Delano rodeo grounds are today. Born Sunday, July 5, 1953 in Nespelem, Washington to Lawrence E. & Sophie Dick-Whalawitsa, Johnny graduated from Madras High School in Madras, Oregon, before studying carpentry for two years in college. Visit the Dam. Graveside services will be held at 1 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 14, at Spring Canyon Cemetery. Maureen K. Horrobin, 63, died at the scene. When I put this story together, the Bureau of Reclamation had no idea that there had ever been a monument at the dam. Browse the most recent Grand Coulee, Washington obituaries and condolences. read about the monument as it stands today in Colville by clicking on "Military Monument" on the menu at the left under "Search Now". Latest COVID-19 coronavirus data and map for Grand Coulee, WA Grand Coulee, WA Coronavirus Information - Safety Updates, News and Tips - The Weather Channel | Weather.com Advertisement On March 22, 1943 she signed up with the United States Marine Corps for “The Duration.” She was preceded in death by her husband Donald W Palmer in April 2008; her parents Rosa and Joseph Phillips; one brother; three sisters; one grandson (Robert Ricks) and one great … E. Ruth Palmer passed away at home surrounded by family, Saturday morning, January 9, 2021. The Grand Coulee, Washington, location of Strate Funeral Homes opened in 1987, after the Strate family bought the former Grand Coulee Funeral Home from Orville Scharbach. Thomas Victor Edwards, 82, passed away Sunday, April 23, 2017, in Grand Coulee, Washington. Concrete arches have in some cases ruptured suddenly. ABSOLUTELY NO SPAM. The first three who died were not on the original plaque. Grand Coulee contains 12 million cubic yards of concrete, or enough to build a highway from Seattle to Miami. 17 Midway Ave. PO Box 760 Grand Coulee, WA 99133. Funeral Services were held Saturday January 24, 2015 at Strate Funeral Home in Grand Coulee, Washington and her burial followed at Grand Coulee’s Spring Canyon Cemetery. Please sign Faye’s online register book at www.stratefuneralhome.com. Susan Dechant, at 62 Lupine Hill Road, Kettle Falls, WA 99141 or, If you have any information on any of the above names, please contact me at. How many workers were killed during the construction of Grand Coulee Dam? When Congress passed the Civil Rights Act and established the EEOC Mavis was given the responsibility of implementing the Equal Employment regulations for the Grand Coulee project. Tom married Barbara Fay (Scoggins) and... — Updated 5/3/2017 Full story The Norfolk & Western Class J 611 Asheville Nc to Spencer Nc return 4-10-16. Grand Coulee Dam Visitor Center temporarily closed, tours delayed, laser light show postponed. Too, many are outdated, the emvironmental damage never assessed, and all dams have tragic consequences for fisheries. Browse Obituaries and Death Records in Grand Coulee, Washington. She is survived by one son Frank Palmer (Chewelah) and two daughters Ellen Stone (Chewelah) and Jeannie Becker (Reardan). They had absolutely no record of it. I believe that I have now identified all 81! (including the original 46) with the date of death. If you have any information on any of these people, please contact me as I would like to write a short biography of each of these individuals to have available at the dam's Visitor Center. I have driven through the Delano area and there is no cemetery and no 90-foot flag pole. Email: chamber@grandcouleedam.org. The Bureau of Reclamation has temporarily closed public visitation to the Grand Coulee Dam Visitor Center in support of the recommended guidelines from the … Construction continued through 1941. After I published an article in “Nostalgia Magazine” in January 2007, I received several responses which helped me to find the approximate location. Normal hours of operation: Monday – Friday 9:00 am to 5:00 pm ( pacific time ) With help from several sources, I also solved the mystery of those original 46 names. Dams, like this engineering marvel, Grand Coulee, exist worldwide. We could definitely identify the rock formations seen behind the monument in those original photos, and this back road through Delano today was a major road through the area back in the 1930s and 1940s. She was preceded in death by her husband Donald W Palmer in April 2008; her parents Rosa and Joseph Phillips; one brother; three sisters; one grandson (Robert Ricks) and one great grandson (Logan Becker). Grand Coulee contains 12 million cubic yards of concrete, or enough to build a highway from Seattle to Miami. There were 77 men killed during the construction of the dam from 1933 to 1941. The project was undertaken between 1933 and 1942 on the Columbia River in the US, and this massive hydroelectric dam killed over 80 workers as they fell over during the construction. An additional four men were killed during the construction of the Nathaniel Washington Power Plant and Forebay Dam from 1967 to … Celebrate and remember the lives we have lost in Grand Coulee, Washington. Grand Coulee Dam: On the Columbia River west of Spokane, Washington, is one of the largest structures ever built by humans--a mass of concrete standing 550 feet high and 5,223 feet long, or just shy of a mile. Thousands are in place, many more are planned. GRAND COULEE – By most accounts, the last life claimed by the Grand Coulee Dam was that of Howard Gumm. The foundations of any dam can be compromised, and this is one of the most feared and dangerous types of dam failure. Constructed between 1933 and 1942, Grand Coulee originally had only two powerhouses. Josephine graduated from Mason City High (Coulee Dam) with the Class of 1938. COULEE DAM – A Grand Coulee resident died July 21 in a one-vehicle accident on Pendell Road north of Coulee Dam in Douglas County. It would be the largest monument ever made in Colville and one of the most beautiful ever erected in the state. An enormous number of deaths Over 100 people died in the construction of the Hoover Dam. The answers to those two questions have been “lost” for over 60 years. By June 1939 Mr. Citkovich had not received payment for his work (except for a $200 deposit) and he says that if payment is not received “within a short time” he will remove it and advertise it for sale. Death toll:80+ workers Building dams is always a risky business, but few come closer to the human cost of Grand Coulee Dam. A list of 46 names was provided to Mr. Citkovich, probably compiled by the American Legion since it was the Legion who sponsored the monument. E. Ruth Palmer /1930-2021. She attended Nespelem Grade School and Coulee Dam High School, graduating in June 1967. With the help of two photographs (showing a distinctive skyline behind the monument), the Public Affairs Officer for the Bureau of Reclamation in Grand Coulee, a local Grand Coulee historian, a local reporter, and a fortuitous encounter with a local resident, we pinpointed the exact site. Space for 75 names would be provided on each side of the monument, and it would be erected at the dam site. The monument was to be a 10 foot granite shaft, made of blue Georgia granite, and would weigh about five tons. E. Ruth Palmer passed away at home surrounded by family, Saturday morning, January 9, 2021. Strate Funeral Home of Grand Coulee, WA is honored to be serving Sherrie’s family. In addition to its irrigation and power functions, Grand Coulee Dam is a primary factor in controlling the floods on the Columbia River. While researching another subject, I came across some newspaper articles in the old. The “proposed cemetery” never happened and there is now a big hole where the cemetery was to have been, the material removed and used during the construction of the dam. Grand Coulee Dam provides water to irrigate approximately 600,000 acres in the Columbia Basin Project. As of Dec. 21, the county has had 947 cases in prior 14 days for an incidence rate of 969, down from 1,054 Dec. 15. No one could tell me what names were on that original list of 46. COVID-19 local stats update As of Dec. 22, Grant County had reported 6,466 total COVID-19 cases including 73 deaths, eight deaths since Dec. 15. Later, the family moved to work on the Boulder (Hoover) Dam project, and later the Grand Coulee Dam. Six weeks later, on September 14, 1946, they were married. P.O. There have been 23 cases in the Grand Coulee Dam area and 39 in the Coulee City area. I am happy to report, however, that I have been able to locate the site where the monument stood for those two years. The monument was to be placed “on a four-acre plot facing the permanent highway leading to the damsite.” The lot was to be beautifully landscaped and would be “kept up through a trust fund being created by the Grand Coulee Legion post.” It was actually put in place “at the proposed cemetery behind Delano” along with a 90