My wife and I lived the first time in the coulee back in 1953-55.

I was a lumber grader down at the mill located above the dam. A fellow by the name of Kirkpatick owned 90% of the operation, and a fellow who ran the logging part of the company the other 10%.

Logs were floated down the Columbia River to the mill site.

With winter coming on, Kirkpatick advised the workers that the mill would shut...