Guide to the Joseph Beckman Photographs of Long Lake Dam Construction 1910-1915
PC 135

Summary Information

Repository
Washington State University Libraries, Manuscripts, Archives and Special Collections
Creator
Beckman, Joseph
Title
Joseph Beckman Photographs of Long Lake Dam Construction
ID
PC 135
Date [inclusive]
1910-1915
Extent
.25 Linear Feet of Shelf Space, 1 box, 150 images
Language
Collection materials are in English.
Abstract
The collections consists of 150 photographs and postcards from the construction of Long Lake Dam, dating from approximately 1910-1914. Long Lake Dam is located approximately 25 miles northeast of Spokane, Washington on the Spokane River. Joseph Beckman worked on its construction.

Preferred Citation

[Item Description] Joseph Beckman Photographs of Long Lake Dam Construction, 1910-1915 (PC 135)

Manuscripts, Archives, and Special Collections, Washington State University Libraries, Pullman, WA.

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Biography/History

Long Lake Dam is located approximately 25 miles northeast of Spokane, Washington on the Spokane River. This facility was believed to have the highest spillway (170 feet) and largest turbines in the world when it was finished in 1915 by the Washington Water Power Company, and is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. Long Lake, behind the dam, is also known today as Lake Spokane. Joseph Beckman worked on its construction.

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Scope and Content

The collections consists of approximately 150 photographs and postcards from the construction of Long Lake Dam (near Spokane, WA), dating from approximately 1910-1914. The majority of the images deal with the construction of the dam proper, though a small number deal with the worker's relaxation activities or with local natives. A very few images may deal with nearby Little Falls Dam. Also included in the collection is one two-page 1959 letter which serves as a brief biography of Beckman. The images are in no particular order. Approximately 90% of the images are labeled, but less than a fifth are dated.

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Administrative Information

Publication Information

Washington State University Libraries Manuscripts, Archives, and Special Collections  © 2016

http://www.libraries.wsu.edu/masc/

Terrell Library

P.O. Box 645610

Pullman, WA, 99164-5610 USA

509-335-6691

mascref@wsu.edu

Restrictions on Access

This collection is open and available for research use.

Acquisition Information

This collection was received as MS 88-37 at WSU Libraries' Manuscripts, Archives, and Special Collections on September 16th, 1988 from Mrs. James Menzies (nee Marian Beckman). The photographs had apparently been compiled by Joseph "Joe" Carl Beckman, and his wife, Eunice Coffman Beckman (d. 1976-12-21).

Processing Information

This collection was processed by University Archivist Mark O'English in January, 2010. Catherine Kenney of Avista scanned the images in August of 2016, providing brief identification and description for the unlabeled items. WSU History student Samantha Case incorporated those descriptions into this finding aid in November of 2016.

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Related Materials

Separated Material

The collection initially included approximately 50 additional photographs from WSC ca. 1910-1912, and a dozen or so pieces of ephemera or minor WSC publications. These were separated out, and interfiled into the Historical WSU Photographs Subject File (PC 2), ephemera collection, and appropriate places in the WSU Publications collection.

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Names and Subjects

Personal Name(s)

Subject(s) :
  • Beckman, Joseph -- Archives

Subject(s)

  • Long Lake Dam (Wash.)
  • Public Works
  • Water and Water Rights
  • Washington (State)

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Detailed Description of Collection

item

Man in front of house - D.B. Ludwick, 1912-09-01  

1

Men on headgate 3 - Hans Anderson, A. O. Strauck, Jack Mintz, Joe Beckman, George Cowling, Joe Primiano 

2

High water running over temporary coffer dam in the canyon 

3

View looking upriver from head tower of #1 cableway 

4

Unknown building (not digitized) 

5

Men painting racks - Beckman 

6

Powerhouse, showing first steel columns and girders in place, October 1913 

7

Excavation, 1912-11-29 

8

Excavation Site for spillway dam, 1912-11-29 

9

Front of spillway dam showing four undersluices discharging  

10

Temporary spillway 

11

View of arched cut-off dam from upstream side 

12

Headgate dam 

13

South side start of tunnel work, 1911-04-15  

14

Construction from a distance 

15

Rock bottom of dam 

16

Broken Piers, 1914-04-08  

17

Top of headgate dam (not digitized) 

18

View upstream from just above railroad bridge (not digitized) 

19

Cover house for coffer dam construction (not digitized) 

20

Looking east from tail tower (not digitized) 

21

Looking upstream from riverbank opposite club (not digitized) 

22

Powerlines to substation 

23

Cable Bridge 

24

Spud and Braggo - Little Falls 

25

Foundation 

26

Road at start of construction 

27

Cabins 

28

Aerial view of construction 

29

Native Americans and men 

30

View of generator room from switchyard gallery, 1914-10-14  

31

Powerhouse construction 

32

Gage board, showing hand pump 

33

Location of gage board  

34

Taken at Long Lake, Aug 1913 

35

View upriver from head towers 

36

Powerhouse Scaffolding 

37

Men on road  

38

Ross Park Steam Plant 

39

Baseball game - 3rd base line 

40

Headgate 3 

41

Baseball game 

42

View of piers and spillway 

43

Men in village 

44

Right side of headgate dam 

45

Bartlett House 

46

Assembling of penstocks and sections after riveting, 1914-03-10 

47

Bright day in powerhouse 

48

Two men at house 

49

Village 

50

Men by spillway during construction 

51

Looking downstream over headgate dam 

52

WSC group 

53

Clubhouse 

54

Pre-construction  

55

Tainter gates 

56

Looking upstream 

57

View of valley where dam now stands 

58

Penstock and men 

59

Four men 

60

Unknown man 

61

View of turbine room 

62

Water rheostat 

63

Steel distributing tower 

64

Camp, labeled 1-6 

65

Spillway dam, Oct 1914 

66

Native Americans on horseback 

67

Teepee 

68

Headgate operating mechanism 

69

View inside penstock 

70

Construction  

71

Tunnel to cable ways 

72

Pre-construction view 

73

Start of construction 

74

Coffer dam, labeled 1-4 

75

Construction 1913, labeled a-d 

76

Cable towers and concrete boxes 

77

Concrete mixer  

77

LL Penstock Install Internal 

78

Headgates 

79

Construction, August 1913 

80

Tunnel outlet just before closed 

81

Top view of early construction 

82

Penstock under construction 

83

Cement squares 

84

Construction from above 

85

The works 

86

Construction scaffolding, 1913 

87

Gravel pit for excavation 

88

Scaffolds on spillway  

89

Tail tower of Unit 4 

90

Unit 2 penstock 

91

Deflection dam 

92

Upstream view of construction 

93

Penstock sections 

94

Construction scaffolding, 1912-09-29 

95

Headgate penstock install 

96

Looking upstream showing completed crest 

97

Labeled view of main dam 

98

View of rock bottom 

99

Looking upstream past broken pier in the spillway dam 

100

Arch cutoff dam 

101

View from bridge 

102

General view of power plant looking upriver 

103

Panorama, 1912-12-14 

104

Spillway scaffolding 

105

Penstock construction, 11-18-1914 

106

Generator install 

107

Spillway construction 

108

Penstock install 

109

Group at powerhouse 

110

Looking north, Long Lake Dam 

111

Steam shovel, 09-07 

112

Dam from tail towers, 09-07-1913 

113

Spillway 

114

Men and tent 

115

Headgate hoist 

116

Powerhouse construction labeled A-E 

117

Men by powerhouse 

118

Group photo: Long Lake construction 

119

Men in powerhouse 

119

Railroad construction 

120

Railroad and construction 

121

View of railroad and cables 

122

Powerhouse controls 

123

Entrance tunnel view 

124

Construction on rocks 

125

People labeled 

126

Head tower of no. 4 cableway 

127

Penstock towers 

128

Pitot tube 

129

Unit 1 erection 

130

Penstock entrance 

131

Tops of gates 

132

Headgate dam and inspection tunnel forms 

133

People touring 

134

Piezometer and bypass 

135

Vertical pitot tube 

136

Early construction  

137

Testing outfit 

138

Headgates labeled 

139

Looking upstream at dam, 1913-09-07  

140

Men with powerhouse coils 

141

Bed of river with workers 

142

View of intake tunnel from river valley, 1911-10-30 

143

Steam shovel and crew at gravel pit 

144

Generators 

145

Back of headgate dam 

146

Spillway and penstock construction 

147

Little Falls construction 

148

Unit one operation, Little Falls 

149

Post Street 

150

Letter (2 pages) 

151-152