This fall, I had the opportunity to document the Newhalem Creek Hydro Project in the upper Skagit Valley. Completed in 1921, this was the first hydro-electric project on the Skagit river, and it provided power for the construction of the much larger Gorge Dam and Powerhouse, and the worker’s village nearby, now called Newhalem. This small project could produce 2.5 megawatts — about the same amount as a single modern wind turbine.
The orginal owners, Seattle City Light, plan to decommission the Hydro Project, which has had a good run, but now has problems, including access to the diversion dam that feeds the penstock. After a forest fire, landslides have closed the access road. But the turbines and generator in the powerhouse are still in good shape, after 100 years.
The project includes a half mile tunnel through rock. In the first photo, which is courtesy of Spencer Howard of Northwest Vernacular, my agile employer, you can see me in the distance, at the entrance to the tunnel. The second photo shows a nine foot scale stick next the penstock. This project was done with professional digital equipment, including perspective adjusting lenses (tilt-shift lenses). My goal was to meet the Level II standards of the Washington Department of Archaeology and Historic Preservation (WA-DAHP), and to provide photos for the Seattle Municipal Archives. I will post more photos once they are approved.
