Science & Tech
3
Transmission lines link remote mountain lakes with densely populated urban areas. Gorge was the first of the Skagit power projects to go on line. On September 17, 1924, President Calvin Coolidge pressed a gold telegraph key in Washington, D.C., sending electricity from the Gorge Power House to Seattle along lines hung from wooden poles. Today high-capacity lines hang from metal towers and criss-cross the mountain scenery. As falling water turns huge turbines in the Upper Skagit power plants, the electricity generated travels in power lines along a portion of the North Cascades Highway.
Hear stories like this as you drive
ExploreHere reads historical markers out loud as you pass them: over 325,000 stories across the US. No account needed.
4.7 · 800+ ratings · Free
FIND IT
Washington · United States
