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Engineering Department Duwamish and Green Rivers Flood Control Studies, 1922-1956

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Seattle (Wash.). Engineering Dept.
Title
Engineering Department Duwamish and Green Rivers Flood Control Studies
Dates
1922-1956 (inclusive)
Quantity
0.8 cubic foot, (2 boxes)
Collection Number
2606-04
Summary
Records relating to flood control in the basin of the Duwamish and Green Rivers, 1922-1975.
Repository
Seattle Municipal Archives
Seattle Municipal Archives
Office of the City Clerk
City of Seattle
PO Box 94728
98124-4728
Seattle, WA
Telephone: 2062337807
Fax: 2063869025
archives@seattle.gov
Access Restrictions

Records are open to the public.

Languages
English
Sponsor
Funding for encoding this finding aid was provided through a grant awarded by the National Endowment for the Humanities.
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Historical Note

Located east of Tacoma, the Green-Duwamish River Basin covers 483 square miles. Originating in the Cascades, the Green River flows northwest and empties into Elliott Bay; the river turns into the Duwamish at the point where the Green and Black Rivers once converged.

Flooding in the Green River Valley was once a costly problem; it affected not only personal property, including crop losses and planting delays for hundreds of farms, but also city property and state and county roads. In 1947, an average of $200,000 total annual losses was estimated. Loss of human lives and of livestock also occurred during flooding periods. Possible methods for flood control included building a dam and reservoir on the Green River, constructing dykes, or excavating a river channel to carry flood waters. The dam, if "economically feasible," would be paid for by federal dollars. The Seattle Chamber of Commerce supported federal flood control, citing not only the high cost of flood damages, but also the potential for further agricultural and industrial development of the Duwamish basin if flooding were brought under control.

Government engineers also supported the idea of a dam; a project using federal funds to construct a dam on the Green River in Eagle Gorge was adopted by Congress in 1950. Originally known as the Eagle Gorge Dam, the dam was renamed Howard Hanson Dam, after the Seattle Chamber of Commerce Rivers and Harbors Committee chairman who was instrumental in the flood control project, when Hanson died in 1957. The dam was completed in 1962, and extensive development of the valley -- both agricultural and industrial -- soon followed. Although flood control remains the primary function of the Howard Hanson Dam, it is also used for irrigation and water supply.

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Content Description

The records relate to flood control in the basin of the Duwamish and Green Rivers. Material gathered for planning flood control and future industrial and agricultural land use includes information on local employment, utility usage, values of property, cost estimates, tax values, and tidelands. The files include correspondence, memoranda, reports, booklets, maps, charts, newspaper clippings, and notes. Key groups in the planning were the Rivers and Harbors Committee of the Seattle Chamber of Commerce and the Seattle City Engineer.

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Use of the Collection

Preferred Citation

[Item and date], Duwamish and Green Rivers Flood Control Studies, Record Series 2606-04. Box [number], Folder [number]. Seattle Municipal Archives.

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Administrative Information

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Detailed Description of the Collection

The following section contains a detailed listing of the materials in the collection.

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

  • Flood control--Planning--Washington (State)--Duwamish River
  • Flood control--Washington (State)--Duwamish River

Corporate Names

  • Seattle (Wash.). City Engineer

Geographical Names

  • Cedar River (King County, Wash.)
  • Duwamish River (Wash.)
  • Green River (King County, Wash.)

Form or Genre Terms

  • Charts
  • Clippings
  • Maps

Other Creators

  • Corporate Names

    • Seattle Chamber of Commerce (creator)

Finding aid prepared by Shannon B. Lynch
2004

CC Attribution
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

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