Grand Coulee Dam

The legendary Grand Coulee Dam is still one of the largest concrete dams in the world, and the largest hydroelectric plant in the country (third largest in the world), generating 6,500 megawatts of power. It is also the origin of the Columbia Basin Project, where water is pumped above the dam into a series of artificial lakes and rivers to irrigate more than half a million acres of the state. Located on the Columbia River, the dam, completed in 1942, is 550 feet high and 4,173 feet across at the crest. Though the dam is sometimes closed to visitors due to terrorist threats, a laser show projected on the 15 acre spillway can be viewed during summer months.

Third Power Plant and Forebay Dam by Marcel Breuer, 1972-1975.