Washington State University Libraries, Manuscripts, Archives and Special Collections
Cage 709
Koester, Clifford R., 1912-1991
Clifford R. Koester Papers
1927-1972
2.5 Linear feet of shelf space
4 Boxes
Clifford R. Koester worked as a journeyman electrician
for the United States Department of the Interior, Bureau of Reclamation, at the
Grand Coulee Dam. The primary focus of the collection is the construction and
operation of the Grand Coulee Dam.
Collection materials are inEnglish
Clifford R. Koester (1912-1991) was born in Amarillo, TX, and spent his childhood in
Ismay, MT. From 1941 to 1961 he worked as a journeyman electrician for the United
States Department of the Interior, Bureau of Reclamation, first at the Leavenworth
(WA) fish hatchery and then at the Grand Coulee Dam. He was a long-time member of
the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW), and a resident of the
town of Coulee Dam (WA).
The primary focus of the collection is the construction and operation of the Grand
Coulee Dam. It includes an unpublished history of the dam and a substantial amount
of ephemera (primarily newsletters and pamphlets) related to the dam. The collection
also includes materials related to larger questions about reclamation and
development, some expressing opposition to federal government regulatory powers.
In his history of the dam, Koester focused on the contributions of laborers to the
monumental project. In the dedication, he observed that "the ability and
achievements of the planners and engineers have often been extolled elsewhere. I
wish to speak now of the craftsmen and common workmen who toiled here, and gave a
part of their lives to further this great work…"
Series 1: History of the Columbia Basin Project by Clifford R. Koester, 1945.
Three-volume typescript (bound), illustrated with approximately 176 United States
Bureau of Reclamation photographs. Discusses many aspects of the construction of the
Grand Coulee Dam and includes some information about related Columbia Basin
projects.
Series 2: Correspondence and notes; 1945-1955, undated. The materials in this series
are related to two main topics: Koester's research for his history of the Grand
Coulee Dam, and his opposition to federal government regulation of recreational use
of Lake Roosevelt.
Series 3: Newsletters, 1936-1958. Includes issues of the Pacific Northwest
Development Association Bulletin, the Columbia Basin Project Safety News, and the
Columbian.
Series 4: Reports, pamphlets, and miscellaneous materials, 1927-1972.
Series 5: Photographs; 1948, undated.
The papers have been arranged in five series. The arrangement for this collection was
created during processing in the absence of a usable original order.
This collection is open and available for research use.
Copyright restrictions apply.
[Item Description]
Clifford R. Koester Papers, 1927-1972 (Cage 709)
Manuscripts, Archives, and Special Collections, Washington State University Libraries, Pullman, WA.
The papers of Clifford R. Koester were donated to Washington State University in two
separate installments, by Mr. Koester in 1985 (MS 1985-30) and by Ronald and Ronda
Koester in 2002 (MS 2002-23).
This collection was processed in 2006 by Cheryl Gunselman, Manuscripts Librarian.
Many printed items have been removed from the papers for separate cataloging.
Frank Arthur Banks Papers, 1913-1957 (Cage 40)
Papers on Columbia River Basin Shipping and Development, 1934-1936 (Cage 755)
Paul C. Pitzer Papers, 1990-1992 (Cage 852)
Ralph J. Kugelman Grand Coulee Dam Construction Photographs, 1930s (Cage 5149)
North Central Washington, Columbia Basin, and Grand Coulee Reclamation, Irrigation and Farming Photographs, 1905-1954 (PC 91)
Grand Coulee Dam and Columbia Basin Project Photographs, 1935-1950 (PC 182)
This collection is indexed under the following headings in the online
catalog. Researchers desiring materials about related topics, persons, or
places should search the catalog using these headings.
Koester, Clifford R., 1912-1991 -- Archives
Columbia Basin Project (U.S.) -- History
Pacific Northwest Development Association -- History -- Sources
Columbia Valley Authority -- History -- Sources
Grand Coulee Dam (Wash.) -- History
Water resources development -- Washington (State) -- History
Water resources development -- Columbia River Watershed
Concrete dams -- Design and construction
Water and Water Rights
Public Works
Washington (State)
Series 1: History of the Columbia Basin
Project, 1945
1
1-3
History of the Columbia Basin Project by
Clifford R. Koester (bound typescript and photographs),
1945.
Series 2: Correspondence and notes; 1945-1955,
undated
2
4
Correspondence and notes; 1945-1955,
undated.
Series 3: Newsletters, 1936-1958
2
5
M.W.A.K. Columbian newsletter (Mason City,
WA: Mason-Walsh-Atkinson-Kier Co.), 1936-1937.
2
6-9
The Columbian newsletter (Mason City, WA:
Consolidated Builders), 1938-1941.
Columbia Basin Project Safety News,
1944-1950
2
10-14
Newsletters, 1944-1950.
3
15-16
Newsletters, 1944-1950.
(continued)
3
17
Layouts, circa 1947-1950.
3
18-20
Pacific Northwest Development Association
Bulletin, 1947-1955.
3
21
Miscellaneous newsletters,
1947-1958.
Series 4: Reports, pamphlets, and
miscellaneous materials, 1927-1972
Reports
3
22
"Specifications for Construction and
Material, Grand Coulee Dam--Columbia Basin Project." Annotated
typescript, undated.
3
23
"Brown-Boveri Circuit Breaker Tests
230-KV Air-Blast Circuit Breaker, March 14-March 18, 1951."
Typescript, circa 1951.
3
24
"The Columbia Basin Project,
1890-1940," by J. B. Fink. Speech (typescript), 1940.
3
25
"Revelations--1948," by Michael W.
Straus. Speech (typescript), 1948.
3
26
Appraisal report, Town of Coulee Dam,
WA, Federal Housing Administration, 1956.
3
27
"Why a CVA?" by Hugh Mitchell,
1945.
3
27
"What's Inside the CVA Bill?" by J. K.
Cheadle, 1946.
3
27
"Do We Want More TVAs?"
1946.
3
28
"Bureau of Reclamation Region 1
Employee Handbook," 1950.
3
29
"Coulee Dam General Plan." Printed
report, 1950.
3
30
"The Columbia Basin Project" Printed
report, 1950.
4
31
"The Grand Coulee Dam Area: A
Preliminary Report," by George A. Shipman, 1950.
4
32
"The Grand Coulee Dam Area: Final
Report and Recommendations," by George A. Shipman, 1954.
4
33
"History of Grand Coulee Dam Area:
Community Development Study," 1958.
Pamphlets
4
34
"Columbia Basin Project," U.S.
Department of the Interior, Bureau of Reclamation, 1959.
4
34
"The Story of CVA," League for C.V.A.,
undated.
4
34
"The 'Authority' Issue," prepared by
Clifford H. Stone, undated.
4
34
"Columbia Valley Authority," Homer D.
Angell, 1945.
4
34
"Question and Answer Handbook about
the Columbia Interstate Compact," undated.
4
34
"The Repayment of Construction Costs
on Federal Reclamation Projects," Ross Morris, 1949.
4
35
Miscellaneous pamphlets about Albeni
Falls Dam and McNary Dam, 1954-1955.
Miscellaneous materials
4
36
"Pacific Builder and Engineer,"
December 1947.
4
37
"The Journal of Electrical Workers and
Operators," September 1945.
4
38
"The 'Palouse Soil' Problem," Kirk
Bryan (U.S. Geological Survey bulletin 790-B), 1927.
4
38
Miscellaneous or unidentified;
1949-1972, undated.
Series 5: Photographs; 1948, undated
4
39-42
Photographs; 1948, undated.