Roll On, Columbia, Roll On near Cascades Rapids, in The Dalles, and on Memaloose Isle. The final three verses describe the construction of two Columbia River dams: Bonneville Dam and Grand Coulee Dam. Bonneville Dam, the first dam built on the Columbia, had locks built into it so ships could navigate past it, alleviating worries that a dam would prevent the shipment of goods and passengers along the length of the river. Guthrie's lyrics describe Grand Coulee Dam as "the mightiest thing ever built by a man"; when it was built it was the largest concrete dam in the world, and as of 2012 it
Foster Coulee Foster Coulee Foster Coulee is a coulee in Douglas County, Washington. Like the larger Moses Coulee nearby, it was formed during the Missoula Floods at the end of the last ice age, some 14,000 years ago. Washington State Route 17 between Bridgeport, Washington and Coulee City, Washington follows East Foster Creek along much of the coulee's valley floor. East Foster Creek now flows east to west through Foster Coulee to Grand Coulee. The United States Geological Survey quadrangle map "Foster Coulee" is named for this prominent feature. Foster Coulee was formed during the Missoula Floods. The Okanogan lobe of the