Cushman Dam No. 1
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Cushman Dam No. 1 is a hydroelectric dam on the North Fork of the Skokomish River in Mason County, Washington forming Lake Cushman.
Built on February 12, 1925, its two 21,600 kilowatt generators provide 127 million kilowatt-hours annually to the Tacoma Power system. Tacoma began the Cushman project in 1919 because of the demand for electricity following the economic and housing expansion after World War I to the city of Tacoma.
It has a concrete arch design and includes 90,000 cubic yards (69,000 m³) of concrete, covering a whole 6,244 feet (1903 m) of water. Construction began on July 7, 1924 under the commissioner Ira S. Davidsson (1918-1940). It has a top width of eight feet (2.4 m) and a base width of 50 feet (15 m), at 275 feet (84 m) high and 1,111 feet (339 m) long. Cushman Dam No. 1 was activated on March 23, 1926, with the push of a button by President Calvin Coolidge in a ceremony at the White House. A second, smaller dam, Cushman Dam No. 2, was completed by December 1930.
