McNary Dedication: Symbol of Progress

The McNary Dam is a great pile of concrete and steel laid on rocks of ages and built by the greatest assemblage of scientific knowledge and engineering skill yet known to man. A million and half horses were harnessed into one million kilowatts which may well be considered a great spiritual achievement in its benefits to mankind as well as one of the greatest physical monuments of the world. Elmer P. Dodd, from his scrapbook, Hermiston Public Library

The issue is not therefore, public power versus unregulated private power. The issue posed to us is, federal monopoly of power as against public or private regulated power, freely chosen in each instance by the citizens of each area, with the federal government drawn in as a cooperating partner where this seems necessary or desirable. President Dwight D. Eisenhower, September 23, 1954

President Eisenhower views the McNary Dam Locks on Dam Dedication Day. Courtesy of Army Corps of Engineers

  September 23, 1954, marked a memorable day for Umatilla as President Dwight D. Eisenhower dedicated McNary Dam. Local businessman and dam booster, Elmer P. Dodd, stood on the platform with the president as General Samuel C. Sturgis Jr., Chief of the Corps of Engineers, acted as master of ceremonies. Entertained by the music of the Umatilla High School band and a day of festive events, a series of renowned speakers, including Douglas McKay, Secretary of the Interior, Arthur B. Langlie, governor of Washington, and Paul L. Patterson, governor of Oregon, praised the cooperative achievements of northwesterners and the Corps of Engineers. The secretary of the army spoke, asserting that "The McNary Dam stands for progress, not only in the development of the Columbia River Basin, but in the building of a more prosperous America."

Left. Crowds gather to witness the dedication of McNary Dam on
September 23, 1954. Courtesy of Army Corps of Engineers

  President Eisenhower, emphasizing local control rather than federal dependence, called the Northwest Power Pool, which gathers power from individual dams and distributes it regionally, "a splendid partnership." Eisenhower acknowledged the individuals who worked "tirelessly" to bring the benefits of progress to "this fortunate region," and warned of the potential malignancy of centralized government. Bolstered by local interests, cooperation with the federal government re-made the Columbia River into what historian Richard White has called an "organic machine." The federal government harnessed and controlled the Columbia for power production, navigation, irrigation, and flood control. Now it was up to communities and state governments to make the best use of the government largesse.

McNary Dam Dedication Program

Documents from the Elmer Dodd Scrapbooks

Recording of President Eisenhower's Dedication speech

Written transcript of Governor Snell's Dedication speech

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