Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area of Lake Roosevelt also falls under the jurisdiction of the National Recreation Area. Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area is a U.S. National Recreation Area under the supervision of the National Park Service. It encompasses the long Franklin D. Roosevelt Lake between Grand Coulee Dam and Northport, Washington, in eastern Washington state. The Grand Coulee Dam was built on the Columbia River in 1941 as part of the Columbia River Basin project, named for President Franklin D. Roosevelt. Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area provides opportunities for fishing, swimming, canoeing, boating, hunting, camping, and visiting historic Fort
Grand Coulee Dam to oversee the dam project, and Reclamation was selected to oversee construction. On July 16, 1933, a crowd of 3,000 watched the driving of the first stake at the low dam site, and excavation soon began. Core drilling commenced that September while the Bureau of Reclamation accelerated its studies and designs for the dam. It would still help control floods and provide for irrigation and hydroelectricity, though at a reduced capacity. Most importantly, it would not raise its reservoir high enough to irrigate the plateau around the Grand Coulee. However, the dam's design provided for future raising and upgrading. Before