The Quincy Valley Historical Society & Museum is leading a project entitled, “The Rains Have Gone Around … Water in the Quincy Valley,” that will explore the importance of water and highlight good stewardship of this precious resource. (Click on photos for a larger view and see timeline at bottom of page.)
| Listen to segments of interviews with people from Quincy.
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| Stewardship |
Rex Morgan talks about stewardship. Bill Watson talks about stewardship. |
| Adapting |
Rex Morgan talks about adapting. |
| Learning |
Bill Watson talks about learning. |
| Cooperating |
Bill Watson talks about cooperating. Bill Watson – Farm in a Day (MP3) Bill Watson – Working Together (MP3) |
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| Appreciating |
Rex Morgan talks about appreciating. Rex Morgan – Appreciating Quincy (MP3) Rex Morgan – Jackrabbit Cistern (MP3) |
| Hoping |
Bill Watson talks about hoping. Bill Watson – Pre and Post Water Yields(MP3) Rex Morgan talks about hoping. |
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| Timeline 1903 -First Annual U.S. Congressional Reclamation Service Report mentions securing water for the dry Columbia plains in the “Big Bend 1906 -Proposal to bring water to Quincy basin from the Wenatchee River at Tumwater Canyon outlined in the Wenatchee Republic newspaper -Alternate idea to bring water from Coeur d’Alene area looked into -Rufus Woods deeply involved in the discussions on providing water to the Quincy basin for agricultural development 1909 -Quincy residents demonstrate in the streets of Spokane at the National Irrigation Congress to rally support for irrigation. They sang a multi-verse, crudely written tune called “Quincyland, My Quincyland” (to the tune of the old hymn Beulah Land), to rally support 1913 -Washington State appropriates $10,000, matched by U.S. Dept. of the Interior to run a feasibility study on irrigating the Columbia Basin 1922 -The Batcheller Report issued, which outlined three plans to bring water from the Grand Coulee 1933 -WA State Columbia Basin Commission established by Congress -$63 million allocated by U.S. for construction of the Grand Coulee Dam -Frank Banks was appointed construction Engineer of the Dam 1934 -FDR dedicates the site of the Grand Coulee Dam 1935 -Plans for the dam changed from a “low” style to a “high” style dam -Bill passed Congress authorizing the Grand Coulee Dam Project 1938 -WPA (Works Progress Administration) began clearing for Lake Roosevelt 1939 -Quincy Irrigation District was formed 1941 -Main structure of Grand Coulee Dam was completed 1943 -Excavation was started on the main canal, marking the beginning of the construction phase of the irrigated portion of the Project 1950 -Pres. Truman named and dedicated the reservoir behind Grand Coulee Dam, designating it Franklin D. Roosevelt Lake 1953 -Water arrives in the Quincy Valley 1955 -The Grand Coulee Dam and the Columbia Basin Reclamation Project (irrigated portion) named by the American Society of Civil Engineers as one of the seven modern wonders of the Civil Engineering in the U.S. |
