Coulee Recollections

Ten Years Ago

Voters approved, by about 69 percent, a proposal to re-divide the Grand Coulee Dam School District last night. As a result, the school board has the authority to change the boundaries of all five respective districts.

Jennifer Sedillo, 15, brought home four trophies from the Miss American Junior Teen Pageant in Seatac, Wash., held Labor Day weekend.

Fears about attacks on the United States on the one-year anniversary of the events of September 11 have caused several changes to public access at Grand Coulee Dam. Bureau of Reclamation Public Affairs Officer Craig Sprankle said the tours have been temporarily suspended and several observation areas have been blocked by cones since the nation went to security level orange.

Twenty Years Ago

Coulee Dam’s town council took the community building off the market last Wednesday following over 45 minutes of testimony on the proposed sale of the building.

Merv and Patty Schmidt celebrated their 35th wedding anniversary this past Monday. They were married Sept. 15, 1957, in Kennewick.

In sports action, the Raider football team was defeated by Chelan 28-18. The Raider volleyball team took a nasty loss to Odessa.

The 16th annual Great Grand Coulee Dam Run is scheduled to take place Saturday, September 26.

Thirty Years Ago

More than 13,000 people visited Grand Coulee Dam during the Labor Day weekend. The visitor count for 1982 is already over 314,000.

The Raiders football team suffered a loss in its first game of the season against the Wilbur Redskins. The score was 14-12.

Perry Brooks was honored on his 80th birthday with a party. Over 50 people attended.

Forty Years Ago

Vern F. Drake, who has served in the Guard Force, Grand Coulee Dam, since 1946, was honored at a retirement ceremony September 8 at the Guard Headquarters.

Mr. and Mrs. David Schilling of Nespelem are the parents of a baby girl born Wednesday, Sept. 13, at the hospital in Okanogan.

Larry Sanderson, a student at Eastern Washington State College has been named to the EWSC Summer Quarter Honor Roll.

Fifty Years Ago

The Coulee Dam PTA met at Central School with President J.E. England presiding. Hostesses were Mrs. Ken Nagell, Mrs. Matt Kale and Mrs. James Engebretson.

The Lady Lions of Grand Coulee met at the home of Mrs. L.F. Carlson with Mrs. Cecil Trefry providing the refreshments. Keno winners were Mrs. Trefry, Mrs. Clyde McClain and Mrs. Dean Klaas.

Sixty Years Ago

Bob Fisher enlisted in officers’ candidate school last week and is now at the recipient center at Fort Lewis. He is the son of Mr. and Mrs. C.V. Fisher of Grand Coulee.

The football season will get underway in high gear Friday night with both local high school teams playing on their home fields. Under the lights at Ludolph Field, the inexperienced Grand Coulee Tigers will face rough opposition in a game against the Chelan Goats. The Wilbur High School Redskins invade the Beaver Bowl to take Coach Gaylord Nelson’s Green Beavers.

Seventy Years Ago

Nespelem Cooperative was connected with the Grand Coulee power distribution system via the Bonneville Power Administration hookup. About 80 farmers were the first to obtain power from the project outside of the government town of Coulee Dam.

Nobody needed to travel over to the coast to get un-dehydrated in August. Records showed that the amount of rainfall in the Grand Coulee Dam area for August exceeded that of many sections of the coastal part of the state of Washington.