Lake Roosevelt Administrative History

North Marina and the Grand Coulee Dam Yacht Club

North Marina was located on the north side of the reservoir about half a mile above Grand Coulee Dam. The area closest to the dam was within the Reclamation Zone, and the rest was within the Recreation Zone. The Park Service provided a swim beach and picnic area for nearby residents and for tourists, primarily visitors to Grand Coulee Dam. Coulee Dam Amphibious Aircraft's facilities were located at North Marina, as was the Reclamation dock facility that had been built by the Work Projects Administration in 1938 or 1939. Reclamation leased boat slips to members of the Grand Coulee Dam Yacht Club and to the general public and thus was in direct competition with the LARO concessionaire, Coulee Dam Amphibious Aircraft. This led to a great deal of contention starting in 1948, when CDAA began to question the fairness of the existing situation, asking why the dock facilities leased to the public were subsidized by Reclamation.

In the late 1940s, CDAA spent over $4,000 to construct new docks to handle anticipated business. But, Reclamation then made minor repairs on its old docks and continued to charge only $10 a year for slip rental vs. the $10 a month charged by CDAA. Greider was frustrated by Reclamation's actions, noting that they reflected a fundamental problem that went beyond the particular situation, and felt that CDAA had the right to "ask some very embarrassing questions." LARO personnel continued to work to shift boat-dock responsibilities from Reclamation to the concessionaire and put the Yacht Club on a non-subsidized basis. Rather than Reclamation issuing a lease to the Yacht Club, the Park Service proposed turning the boat slips over to the Park Service, which would make them available to its concessionaire. [105]

Reclamation, however, believed it should continue to handle the rentals for the remaining few years that the docks would be usable. Greider then suggested that they increase their dock rental rates to be consistent with local commercial rates, thus eliminating the competition with the Grand Coulee Navigation Company. After voluminous correspondence and, presumably, phone calls and meetings, in May 1952 all involved parties agreed to a Reclamation lease of land and facilities to the Yacht Club, with assurances from Reclamation that they had no intention of further subsidizing the organization by repairing the floating dock. [106]

Five-passenger Beechcraft float plane taking off from North Marina, 1946. Photo courtesy of U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, Grand Coulee (USBR Archives 1347).

In 1959, Reclamation proposed transferring the North Marina to LARO for no cost, including the public (non-LARO) swimming beach, the Grand Coulee Dam Yacht Club facilities, paved road, and water line. The beach, which received heavy local and visitor use, was located near the Park Service campground and picnic area. Many locals preferred it to the Park Service beach because the latter was accessed by a steep slope known as "Cardiac Hill." LARO's Superintendent noted that the Park Service had wanted this piece of land included in the NRA when it was established, but Reclamation had withheld it because of a "squabble" between the concessionaire and the Yacht Club. The lease to the Yacht Club of the barge resting on landfill and dock adjacent to the beach would be transferred to the Park Service. By this time, Yacht Club membership had declined to only sixteen, and the floating docks were unsafe. The Regional Office and LARO recommended the transfer be accomplished. [107]

The transfer of this land to LARO's management never occurred. In 1968, the 260-acre North Marina area was excluded from LARO because the land was needed for materials staging and penstock fabrication during the construction of the third powerhouse. The old barge that had served as a clubhouse was burned, and the Yacht Club docks at North Marina were removed. The Yacht Club moved its clubroom to a building in Coulee Dam and for a number of years did not have any waterfront facilities. The club did, however, operate the Spring Canyon concession for a few years starting in the late 1960s as a way to raise money for the organization. The Yacht Club established docking facilities at Eden Harbor, not far from the town of Grand Coulee, in 1981, and has been there ever since under a Park Service special use permit. The club currently has approximately twenty-five members. [108]