Shot by an unknown American amateur filmmaker, this incredible 1934-36 era, silent 16mm home movie shows a trip to the Skagit River Project. It is well produced, with title cards throughout. The film shows a train ride down the gorge to the Diablo power house, and a trip in an odd type of cable railway / incline lift up the mountain. The film begins with a shot of a family leaving their home and getting into what appears to be a 1924 Buick Duchess. Large crowds of people are shown waiting for the train to arrive. At :57, Seattle City Light Railroad Locomotive #6 arrives at what is probably Rockport, to begin the ride up the river to the Diablo dam. At 1:00, shots of the river and gorge as viewed from the train. At 1:44, arrival at The Gorge Inn, where visitors spent the night. At 2:00, guests pose for the camera before taking a trip to see the power house, by crossing a long bridge. The power house is shown at 2:30. At 2:38, the next phase of the trip — taking an electric locomotive-pulled train to Diablo. There are views again of scenery out of the train windows. At 3:20 exceptional images of the incline lift aka Diablo Incline Railroad that transported visitors to the top of the dam in that era. The large size of the lift is due to the fact that it once took rail cars one by one sideways up Sourdough Mountain. At 3:50, shots from above the top of the dam showing spillways. Now, next phase of the trip begins with a twelve mile boat trip on Diablo Lake at 4:20. At 4:58 a title card explains “The White Line indicates the Site of the Ruby Dam”. At 5:59, tourists disembark from the boat at Lake Diablo, and view the Diablo Dam and its spillways at 6:20. At 6:34 the incline lift is shown again in operation, bringing travelers back to the power house.
The Skagit River Hydroelectric Project is a series of dams with hydroelectric power-generating stations on the Skagit River in the north of the U.S. state of Washington. The project is owned and operated by Seattle City Light to provide electric power for the City of Seattle and surrounding communities. The three major dams in the Skagit River Project are (from lower to upper) Gorge Dam, Diablo Dam, and Ross Dam. Construction of Diablo Dam was begun in 1927, five miles upstream from Gorge Dam. Diablo Dam was completed in 1930, and at that time was the tallest dam in the world at 389 feet (119 meters) until Owyhee Dam was built. Although the dam was complete, financial problems due to the Great Depression delayed building the powerhouse, so the dam produced no electricity for Seattle until 1936.
From 1928 until the start of World War II, City Light offered guided tours of the Skagit Project. From Rockport, visitors rode City Light’s steam locomotive 23 miles to Newhalem. Dormitories were provided, as were meals in The Gorge Inn. The next day, visitors boarded another train to Diablo, where they toured the powerhouse and rode an incline lift to the top of the dam. Next, they rode a barge or tour boat to Ruby Creek, then returned to Rockport. Over 100,000 people visited the Skagit Project by 1941. After the war, shortened tours resumed.
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This film is part of the Periscope Film LLC archive, one of the largest historic military, transportation, and aviation stock footage collections in the USA. Entirely film backed, this material is available for licensing in 24p HD, 2k and 4k. For more information visit http://www.PeriscopeFilm.com
