The Star - News, views and advertising of the Grand Coulee Dam Area

If you live in the Grand Coulee Dam area, you know that the large volcano-looking structure beside the high school is called “the sand hill.” It is one of the markers of our little area that has become part of the town. Very much like our dam, North Dam Park, Banks Lake, Siam Palace, Loepps and the TeePee, it has become a part of our community. But the history it holds tells a story that only a large sand hill can tell.

Most of us know it is the leftover sand from the construction of our Grand Coulee Dam, but there is a little more to tell than that. I was recently talking to a couple of the old timers in the area, and they tell some pretty wild tales of their own. I will leave their names out to protect the integrity of the yarns they tell.

Did you know that most everybody’s foundation in the area was made from this very sand hill gold mine? Yes, the whole process today would never use this sand for concrete, but back then they got what they could, and the older homes still here were built with sand-hill sand. I was also told the first non-dirt roads used the sand as well. But those are historically cool stories; there are other stories, as well, that are little scarier.

When we grew up as a kids in this area, all of our parents told us to be careful on the sand hill. We could get sucked in or something. But we climbed it, sledded down it, rolled down, hid from our parents on it, and all kinds of stuff. But apparently a few kids have gone missing over the years, and the hill is blamed. The old codgers said that back in their day, they knew of at least one story of a kid falling into an air pocket on the sand hill and becoming buried. His parents had to be called off their respective work sites to come dig out their son. They had conflicting stories of the ending of the story, though. One said the kid made a recovery, but the other said he did not. I do remember once in the 1990s receiving a call of a kid being trapped in the sand and police and firefighters from all over responded. But it ended up that the child was just hiding from parents.

So, today the sand hill is used by a few people still. Some get their sandbags filled there or pick up sand for their driveways and parking lots, and I am sure the USBR still uses it, as well. But it is best known now as punishment for our Raider sports teams. Or a normal day for our cross country team. If you get in trouble at practice, coaches say, “Go run the hill,” and that is not a pleasant thing to hear or do.

The history of the sand hill is more than likely a lot deeper than what I just wrote here, but I would love to hear your “sand hill stories.” I’m Jess Saying.