nixonded.html

The Oregonian, Portland, OR., October 11, 1959, page 1
Includes photographs

NIXON DEDICATES THE DALLES DAM IN GAY FETE
Vice President Urges America To Retain Faith
By PAUL HAUSER
Staff Writer, The Oregonian

THE DALLES DAM (Special) -- With words by Vice President Richard M. Nixon and music by a succession of high school and army bands, with bunting, hot dogs and all the fanfare of a Fourth of July political rally, the $250,000,000 The Dalles Dam was formally dedicated here Saturday.
A crowd only a tenth of the 30,000 planned for an elaborate arrangements made by the Corps of Engineers and mid-Columbia communities turned out on a cloudy, chilly day to hear the vice president acclaim the mile-and-a half long structure as evidence of the way America can gird itself to meet the challenges of Russia.

Rain Holds Off

Although the skies threatened, the rain held off until after the dedication and inspection of the dam by the official party.
Nixon spoke of the recent visit of Russia's Premier Nikita Khrushchev and of his boast that the Russians will surpass the United States economically in seven years.
"I predict they will not surpass us in seven years or in 70 years, providing we remain faithful to our principles," said Nixon. "But we must recognize that the challenge is real and significant and that the Russians are a hard-working and competitive people."

Resources Need Safeguard

America must not waste either its natural or human resources, must remain firmly confident of the soundness of its system of government, he said.
Natural resources, such as those of the Columbia's great benefits in power, irrigation and navigation, will be developed to their full without question, "providing each portion is done by the government agency of private enterprise that can do it at the least cost for the most people."
"Bear In mind that our system of varied competition is basically sound and can produce in the long run more efficiently than the system the Soviet system is supposed to be … But let us not rest our case simply on the fact that our own is efficient. If we follow the way of freedom we can have progress with freedom.
"What we need on our side," said Nixon, "is belief that is just as strong as Khrushchev's, a determination to work and the stamina and the will to win.
As Nixon spoke he could peer across the Columbia and the vast barrier of concrete that dams it now at this spot in a manner inconceivable to the early voyageurs who found The Dalles only a place of trouble for their canoes and barges.

Early Name Recalled

He spoke of the panorama of history which the historic site brings to mind (and gained a chuckle from the crowd when he said he had learned to pronounce Celilo properly since his last trip to Oregon).
"We must think as we stand here," he said, "not only of the American past, but of the great challenges of the future."
On the opposite Oregon shore he could see the great electric substation known as Big Eddy -- from which the Martian-like transmission towers march across the brown hills to carry kilowatts from the dam's eventual 14 generators to Northwest load centers.

Nixon Activities(sic) Generator

Concluding his dedicatory remarks, Nixon pressed a button which put the 10th of these 78,000-kilowatt power units on the line and its energy surging into the circuits of the Northwest power pool.
Power from the dam has been going into the pool since 1957 when the first generator was energized. The remaining four are scheduled to go on the line at about three-month intervals.

Other Dam Rises

Now only the name Big Eddy recalls the terrifying rapids of The Dalles. They, picturesque Celilo Falls, where the Indiana used to fish with spears, and the navagation canal dedicated here in 1915 with similar fan-fare were drowned out by this structure.
Lying in the Columbia River like a hockey stick placed so that it's blade forms a spill-way section, it's curving handle the power house and the Oregon shore abutment, the dam forms a smooth lake extending 25 miles up the Columbia. There another great multi-purpose structure -- John Day Dam -- is under construction. With its completion river navigation will follow a series of lakes from Bonneville Dam to Pasco, Wash.

Projects Move Rapidly

In the little more than 20 years since the first of the great federal dams, Bonneville, was dedicated, The Dallas Dam, McNary Dam, Chief Joseph Dam, Grand Cou-lee Dam have been built on the main stem of the Columbia. John Day has been started. Priest Rapids, Wanapum and Rocky Reach dams are under construction by non-federal utilities. All of these are filling a need for Northwest power unforeseen 25 years ago and growing at a pace that requires doubling the source every 10 years.

Two Governors Speak

Both Governors Mark Hatfield of Oregon and Albert D. Rosellini of Washington called for further push to advance development of the Columbia. So did U.S. Sen. Richard L. Neuberger.
"We cannot depend upon the unpredictable vicissitudes of congressional appropriations alone to furnish us with the wherewithall to do the job," said Hatfield. "If we can successfully bind together on a regional basis to do the jobs in a self-financing way to provide a more dependable flow of funds, we must undertake such a program without heasitancy."

U.S. Engineer Voices Pride

Lt. Gen. Emerson C. Itschner, chief of the Corps of Engineers, spoke with pride of the dam -- the largest multiple purpose project the Army Engineers have ever built.
Following the dedication Nixon's party headed a caravan across the dam to the Oregon shore stopping for an inspection of one of its three sets of fish ladders and the power-house. The party proceeded to The Dalles Junior High School where lunch was set for 1000 invited guests. Guy F. Atkinson, 80-year-old head of the Guy L. Atkinson Construction Co. which built the project for the egineers, Picked up the $2,000 tab for the luncheon.
Additional details on page 41, full page pictures on page 41.