The Eighth Wonder of the World

Why is Washington’s Grand Coulee Dam considered to be such an impressive structure?

1 The Grand Coulee Dam, on the Columbia River in Washington State, is one of humankind’s most amazing structures. There is enough concrete in the dam to build a four-lane highway between Los Angeles and New York City. The dam is more than a mile long, and at 550 feet tall, it is about twice as tall as the Statue of Liberty or Niagara Falls!

2 If you are thinking that it must have been a time-consuming project to build the dam, you are correct. Work on the Grand Coulee Dam was begun in 1933 during Franklin D. Roosevelt’s administration. When the dam was finally completed in 1942, nine years after it was begun, it was the largest dam in the world.

3 Initially, the Grand Coulee Dam was built as part of an irrigation system for desert areas in the Pacific Northwest. However, World War II was beginning just as the dam was completed, and it became necessary to use the energy created by the flow of water.

4 Hydroelectric power uses the energy created by falling water to produce electricity. The type of energy produced by falling water is called mechanical energy. It is converted into electrical energy by a generator and a water turbine. As the country’s need for electricity increased during the war, the Grand Coulee Dam was able to fill some of that need with the massive amounts of energy it produced.

5 Although the dam proved to be beneficial to the area and to the nation, there were also drawbacks to its existence. The land of Native American tribes who lived along the Columbia River was flooded after the construction of the dam, and they were forced to move to new areas. In addition, the dam disrupted the migration of salmon, a staple of their diet.

6 In the 1990s, the government was required to offer a large sum of money to the Colville tribe in payment for the disturbances and suffering the dam had caused. Although the tribe received millions of dollars, the money could not buy back what its members and their relatives had lost.

7 Today, the dam is a popular tourist attraction. It continues to function as a source of irrigation and as a powerful electrical generator. Franklin Delano Roosevelt Lake, the reservoir created by the dam, has more than 500 miles of shoreline. Residents and visitors enjoy a variety of recreational activities there, including fishing, swimming, hiking, and boating. The public can tour the inside of the dam. During the summer months, they can watch a laser light show on the dam’s wall.

8 If you ever happen to visit Washington, put the Grand Coulee Dam on your list of places to see. With its enormous size and incredible power, no wonder it is often considered to be the Eighth Wonder of the World.

Spectrum Reading Grade 6

112

1. On the line below, write a sentence that describes the main idea of the selection.

2. Why does the author say that the money the government paid could not buy back what the Colville tribe had lost?

3. How long did it take to complete construction on the Grand Coulee Dam?

4. Is Franklin Delano Roosevelt Lake a natural or human-made lake? How do you know?

5. In paragraph 1, the author compares the height of the dam to the height of two well-known landmarks. What are they?

6. Check the phrase that best describes the author’s purpose.

to share information about the Grand Coulee Dam

to persuade the reader to visit the Grand Coulee Dam

to entertain

7. Based on the selection, what is the author’s opinion of the Grand Coulee Dam? How do you know?

8. Do you think the government was right to pay the Colville tribe as a reimbursement for the suffering and disturbances they experienced? Explain.

Spectrum Reading Grade 6

113