Cascade Locks in Hood River County, Washington — The American West (Northwest)

This Old Turbine

Photographed By Don Morfe, October 5, 2006

1. This Old Turbine Marker

Inscription. For nearly 60 years this turbine helped make power at Bonneville Dam. Throughout these years it has meant different things to different people at different times. During installation, it meant jobs to help people recover from the Great Depression. A few years later, it helped provide power to build aircraft and ships for World War II. After the war it helped the Northwest economy grow and prosper. This turbine was from Unit 3. While running, it continuously helped generate power for about 25,000 homes.

Fascinating facts:
In service date: 9 January 1941; Out of service for replacement: 24 July 2000; Years in service: 59.5; Rotating speed: 75 revolutions per minute; Lifetime electrical generation: 22,159,657,000-kilowatts hours; Value at $12 a megawatt hour (wholesale): $265,915,884; Water used for generation: 96,000 gallons a second; Weight: 123 tons; Horsepower: 74,000; Manufacturer: S. Morgan Smith.

Outer edges of this turbine moved 663,600 feet an hour. At an average time in service of 7,900 hours a year, they traveled over 59 million miles, more than 100 round trips to the moon.

(Inscription under the photo in the center)
Assembling turbine for unit 4, May 29, 1940.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Industry & Commerce • War, World II. A significant historical date for this entry is January 9, 1941.

Location.

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45° 38.511′ N, 121° 56.572′ W. Marker is in Cascade Locks, Washington, in Hood River County. Marker is on Star Route. This marker is on Bradford Island and the Bonneville Dam property operated by the U.S. Corps of Engineers. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Cascade Locks OR 97014, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 4 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Bradford Island Fishway (within shouting distance of this marker in Oregon); Sturgeon Habitat (approx. 0.8 miles away in Oregon); Beacon Rock (approx. 0.9 miles away in Oregon); The Bridge of the Gods (approx. 2.4 miles away); a different marker also named The Bridge of the Gods (approx. 2.6 miles away in Oregon); Cascade Falls Portage (approx. 2.9 miles away in Oregon); the Oregon Pony (approx. 2.9 miles away in Oregon); Lewis and Clark Trail (approx. 3.7 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Cascade Locks.

Also see . . . Bonneville Dam.
Prior to the New Deal, development of the Columbia River with flood control, hydroelectricity, navigation and irrigation was deemed as important. In 1929, the US Army Corps of Engineers published the 308 Report that recommended 10 dams on the river but no action was taken until the Franklin D. Roosevelt administration and the New Deal. During this period America was in the Great Depression, and the dam's construction provided jobs and other economic benefits

Entrance to the Visitor Center image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Don Morfe, October 5, 2006

2. Entrance to the Visitor Center

to the Pacific Northwest. Inexpensive hydroelectricity gave rise to a strong aluminum industry in the area. (Submitted on February 16, 2018, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)

Sign at the entrance to Bradford Island Bonneville Dam image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Don Morfe, October 5, 2006

3. Sign at the entrance to Bradford Island Bonneville Dam

Marker detail: Installing turbine for unit 1, June 11, 1937 image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, July 13, 2015

4. Marker detail: Installing turbine for unit 1, June 11, 1937

This turbine provided hard-earned dollars, pride in craftsmanship and a renewed sense of accomplishment for workers during the Great Depression. Many of these workers were from surrounding communities.

Marker detail: Installing new minimum gap turbine, February, 1999 image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, July 13, 2015

5. Marker detail: Installing new minimum gap turbine, February, 1999

If you flex a soda pop can back and forth, it eventually breaks due to metal fatigue. After 60 years metal fatigue caused the old turbines to break too. Repairs became so freuent that replacing all of the turbines made good economic sense.

The new minimum gap runner turbines nearly eliminate gaps between the blades and the hub as the blade angles change. This reduces injuries to fish and improves power production efficiency.

This Old Turbine Marker (<i>wide view; 1937 turbine in background</i>) image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, July 13, 2015

6. This Old Turbine Marker (wide view; 1937 turbine in background)

Credits. This page was last revised on October 14, 2020. It was originally submitted on February 22, 2016, by Don Morfe of Baltimore, Maryland. This page has been viewed 576 times since then and 27 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on February 22, 2016, by Don Morfe of Baltimore, Maryland. 4, 5, 6. submitted on February 15, 2018, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.