Alfonso Johnson was part of the excavation crew for the C.B.I. Construction Company, a sub-contractor of the massive Mason-Walsh-Atkinson-Kier Company, that worked on the Grand Coulee Dam project. The project was a large-scale public work driven by New Deal policy. Johnson was a graduate of high school in Wenatchee, WA, and moved, along with his wife, Lillian Rohlman, to work on this project as his first job out of school. The Grand Coulee Dam was constructed between 1933 and 1941.
The Grand Coulee Dam is one of the largest concrete structures in the world. This dam, which raises the water surface 350 feet above the old riverbed, is 5,223 feet long, 550 feet high, and contains about 12 million cubic yards of concrete. The original dam was modified for the Third Power Plant by construction of a 1,170-foot-long, 201-foot-high forebay dam along the right abutment approximately parallel to the river and at an angle of 64 degrees to the axis of Grand Coulee Dam. The total length of the main dam, forebay dam, and wing dam is 5,223 feet. The spillway of the dam is controlled by 11 drum gates, each 135 feet long, and is capable of spilling one million cubic feet of water per second with Lake Roosevelt at fullpool (1290 feet above sea level). The dam also contains forty 102- inch-diameter outlet tubes. Within the dam are 8.5 miles of inspection galleries and 2.5 miles of shafts.
Franklin D. Roosevelt Lake, the reservoir behind the dam, extends 151 miles northeast to the Canadian border and up the Spokane River, a tributary of the Columbia, to within 37 miles of Spokane. The total storage capacity of the reservoir is about 9.6 million acre-feet, and the active capacity is about 5.2 million acre-feet.
(Source: Bureau of Reclamation website https://www.usbr.gov/projects/index.php?id=155; Accessed August 2023)
One scrapbook containing dozens of black and white snapshots and four panoramic photos by George W. DeLong along with mementos from 1931 to 1941, most with captions. Photos illustrate the dam's construction and the lives of those who worked on and around it. The scrapbook also contains postcards, maps, souvenir photos, tax tokens, commemorative coins, booster ribbon souvenirs, movie tickets, business cards, buttons, and ribbons from the area and time period. Some items were previously removed.
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Purchased from Zephyr Used & Rare Books, July 2023
From left to right: Floyd Red busting the bucket, 1936; Lillian Rohlman, 1934; Washington tax token, 1936; we poured it July 5, 1936 (sleepy) Block #31F; Illinios tax token Stanley Goldy's, 1935; Lillian Rohlman thinning peaches look out you'll fall, 1936
From left to right: M.WAK. CO. (B.S.), 1936; Oscar Kenn (or, Kent) (HE) ladies man, 1936; Lameda from Lamina Stuby Fid "cute", 1934; Fishing trip Lake Merit, 1928; Howard Ross Howard Sacnes one man basket team ball, 1935; good show fall 1934 palisades; Barbra, Tude & Harold Lee, 1936
From left to right: Oakland; Wilma skinny; Butter Cup, Mamma buy me that, Violet, 1936; Walkathon student Leroy's woman, that's rite, never been kissed, neva, 1934; Mason City + government town, 1936; Rock Island Dam, 1936; Palisades, Me + a pup, 1936
From left to right: Thinning patches, Stanley Goldy's, Hellen Bell, 1936; Coulee Dam, 1936; Bucket, low trestle, 1936; Bob, Gladys, hot stuff 1936; Margret Declem 1935; Low trestle 1936; Busting bucket, our crew, 1936; Wat's he doin, FID, Stuby, 1936; Washington tax token, 1935; Vibrator part ner's, wibrol, Vernon + Red, 1936
All 1936, from left to right: Headake, Lillian + Junior my ball + chaine; (huh), me, bout to fall down; pretty neat gang, our crew; washing bedrock; good lookers, vibroator crew; the boss, where is the mud, walr the rocks, cuck; hold the towl, clyde
All 1936, from left to right: rock cleanup, between block #31 + #40, Lillian Rohlman, tired; Grand Coulee; Fid, Sheik, Stuby; Wilfred, Will, Weman oh boy; He man's, the concrete gang, Floyd + me
From left to right: Piling, Coulee dam, stiffleg, 1935; M.W.A.K. Mason, Walsh, Atkinson, Kier, Grand Coulee dam; under trestle, bucket, 1936; Muss a massels, bating beauty, floyd, 1936; chest slipped on Blachy, just bums, bufflo lake, swimming champions, Blacky, Stuby + Floyd, 1936; Real phyic, just kids playing, Paul + Red
From left to right: Palisades, Gr-r-r, Lillian, Floyd, Alice + Tude 1936; Shovel + cat, 1935; When completed, dam, 1940; Loading convayer, shovel dragline, 1936
From left to right: "ya gotta make calls if ya wanta get results", and how, proud, Oh! Yeah quintuplets; "Keep smiling, health will do it see your chiropractor", Oh! Ye-e-e-e-a-ah; "Don't drink water" that's rite, wat's he do'n, pretty small 3 years old; "Standard gasoline unsurpassed"; "Visit Mondau's Tug Boat"; "It's new business were after! We take care of old business", poor hen cruel rooster; "Mutual Benifit Health & Accident Association, United Benifit Life Insurance Company", not my business
From left to right: Letters of the counties in Washington; "Please help a cripple", I did, "2 bits'; "Re-elect S.J.(Steve) McDonnell"; "Good for one airplane ride", Apple Blossom, Wenatchee; "Identification check"; "Attention! Box Rent Due!", Grand Coulee post office Box 515, done payed; "Turn up side down"; "Vote for W.M. Muncy" Adv., London Ky.; Penny, Lords prayer, 1937; Penny, Grand Coulee Dam, 1937; "Emergency token", carnival
All 1936, from left to right: Block #40, pouring Gran Coule Dam; Back of Mason City, gravel plant; High trestle, east side
All 1936, from left to right: Coffer Dam west side Grand Coulee Dam; Me + my kids, Palisades, Harold, Leroy, Tude, Alice, Lillian + me; Working, our crew; Worst yet, Paul + Red
All 1936, from left to right: Under the teepees, cutting; Pouring, both trestles; Every bodys pal the jug, the old stand by, oscar + the jug; Crane's + train's, loading trucks, shovel
From left to right: real crew, Roy's shed crew, "Mrs Barb, Lizzy, Lila, Bertna, Clearance, Jake, Daddy, Mr Brindt, Milo, Wilered, Jess, Hellen, Roy, Mae, Inez, Carry, Jerry, Peg, Mike getin any, Mrs Brndt, me, Bob", 1934; Mason City, 1936; Bufflo Lake, Raft, 1936; What you looking at, Lillian + me, 1936
All 1936, from left to right: Real town, R.R. crossing, Grand Coulle; Under trestle, our crew, pouring; Buffulo Lake, walking; Willie Bill or Will, he's mad, Wilfred
All 1936, from left to right: East side, before rock cleanup; East side, dragline + freezzing plant; Little Red; Forgot my pants + shirt, pretty neat shorts, me; Fid; East side, Coulee Dam, concret mixer; East Side, Coulee Dam
From left to right: East side, dragline + freezzing plant, 1936; Gravel conveyor tower, 1937; High tressel, general view of east side + water diversion, 1937; East coffer dam, view of east side dam + coffer dam, 1937; West mixer hammer head + train, 1936; East side, end of high tressel, 1937
Clumbia river befor the dam 1933; West side coffer dam, 1935
All 1937, from left to right: Steam boat rock, in Grand Coulee; Mt. Baker Washington Chain Lake; High tressel; east mixer; River diversion, west side; West side
West Coffer Dam, just after dam started, 1935; Government town, 1936
All 1937, from left to right: Scene near Grand Coulee, where abouts; Petrified forest; East side, High tressel, concrete train; River diversion, Coffer Dam, east side
Hysterical map of Grand Coulee Dam
All 1937, from left to right: Snoqualmie Falls; Conveyor tower; High tressel, block #40; Near Grand Coulee, I don't know where; Night view, river diversion
Grand Coulee Dam Columbia River souvenir booklet progress edition
All 1937, from left to right: East side, jackhammer; River diversion, high tressel; Eas + west sides, full view of dam; Grand Coulee Center, Loudof's Grocery, store
From left to right: East side; east side; Low tress pour
From left to right: Damsite 1932; Gravel plant, 1937; West side, river diversion, 1937; Natural bridge of Virginia, 1931
Wenatchee Ball Park, 1937
From left to right: Under tressel, jackhammers, 1937; Johnson; Palisades, airplane wreak, 1931; Coulee dam, east side, 1937
From left to right: Man covered in rabbits, 1941; small house, 1939; couple back to back, 1937; couple sitting side by side, 1941
Common Schools of the State of Washington Certificate of Graduation
Wenatchee Junior High, good old days, 9B + 9A, 1934
From left to right: One free play Pastime Skill Ball; Golden Spike, Dec. 8 1934 ; "We loan lucky money"; "Everybody's getting married, a comedy in three acts"
From left to right: Washington, 1937; "Information regarding Smith Tower; Coulee Dam banner; Sealed power, "piston rings"
From top to bottom: Gotat carnival; "Kiss me I like it", so do I; "Slip it to me", umm and how; Aint she nice, spun glass tape, 1943
From left to right: Kidnapper's Licinse; Marriage Permit; "Don't lost out, insist on HaDees Air-o-lating car heater"