building mcnary

For nearly two decades public works and wartime projects re-shaped communities with new jobs and residents. While the Umatilla Ordnance Depot brought some employment to the region, McNary Dam temporarily brought additional federal benefits directly to Umatilla.

McNary Dam under construction. The dam consists of hydroelectric generators, navigation locks, irrigation facilities,
and fish ladders. Construction began in 1947, creating Lake Wallula and extending slackwater navigation
for 70 miles up the Columbia and Lower Snake Rivers. The dam covered the old Oregon Trail way-station
of Wallula. Eight hundred and sixty homes were moved out of the reach of the pool. Photo courtesy of the Army Corps of Engineers

The McNary Dam navigation lock, located on the Washington shore, is 86 feet wide and 670 feet long. Its maximum lift of 92 feet made it the highest single lift lock in the world when completed. Photo courtesy of Army Corps of Engineers

Earlier reports concluded the anticipated navigation benefits did not justify costs. But, the Corps of Engineers decided, "it is possible that sufficient surplus power from the dams can be sold within the next 50 years to make the improvement economically sound." With the end of the war, advocates urged comprehensive development of the Columbia River for power and navigation.

In 1945, Congress authorized construction of a dam at the Umatilla Rapids, naming it after the late Senator, Charles McNary. It awarded the first contract for construction in April, 1947. Thousands of workers flocked to the dam site. By 1950, part of the lock, fishway and spillway rose above ground on the Washington shore. A year later barges headed upriver.