Seattle City Light Flood Control Records, 1917-1978

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Seattle City Light
Title
Seattle City Light Flood Control Records
Dates
1917-1978 (inclusive)
Quantity
.8 cubic foot, (2 boxes)
Collection Number
1206-15
Summary
Records concerning floods and flood control near Seattle City Light hydroelectric projects.
Repository
Seattle Municipal Archives
Seattle Municipal Archives
Office of the City Clerk
City of Seattle
PO Box 94728
98124-4728
Seattle, WA
Telephone: 2062337807
Fax: 2063869025
archives@seattle.gov
Access Restrictions

Records are open to the public.

Languages
English
Sponsor
Funding for processing this record series was provided through a grant from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission.

Historical NoteReturn to Top

City Light provides electricity and electrical and conservation services to its public and private customers. It is the largest public utility in the Pacific Northwest. Public responsibility for electrical energy dates to 1890 with creation of the Department of Lighting and Water Works. In 1902, Seattle voters passed a bond issue to develop hydroelectric power on the Cedar River under the administration of the Water Department. Electricity from this development began to serve Seattle in 1905. A City Charter amendment in 1910 created the Lighting Department. Under the leadership of Superintendent James D. Ross, the department developed the Skagit River hydroelectric project which began supplying power in 1924. Both public and private power was supplied to Seattle until 1951 when the City purchased the private electrical power supply operations, making the Lighting Department the sole supplier. The Boundary Project in northeastern Washington began operations in 1967 and supplied over half of City Light's power generation. By the early 21st century, approximately ten percent of City Light's income came from the sale of surplus energy to customers in the Northwest and Southwest with the remainder of City Light's financial support coming from customer revenue. The current name of the agency was adopted in 1978 when the Department was reorganized.

Content DescriptionReturn to Top

Records of the Power Management Branch concerning floods and flood control on the Skagit and Cedar Rivers, including correspondence, reports, hydrographic data, manuals and photographs. Also included are court papers, exhibits and correspondence regarding damage suits over flood losses on the Skagit, Cedar and Lewis Rivers.

Use of the CollectionReturn to Top

Preferred Citation

[Item and date],Seattle City Light Flood Control Records , Record Series 1206-15. Box [number], Folder [number]. Seattle Municipal Archives.

Administrative InformationReturn to Top

Arrangement

Arranged alphabetically.

Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top

The following section contains a detailed listing of the materials in the collection.

1206-15:  Flood Control Data, 1917-1978Return to Top

Container(s) Description Dates
Box/Folder
1/1
Cedar River Damage Suits, Drowning (Includes Photographs)
1949-1951
1/2
Cedar River Flood Control Correspondence, Etc.
1925-1978
1/3
Flood Control (Incl Puget Sound Flood Control Council)
1938-1956
1/4
Flood Control (Includes Cedar Falls)
1949-1959
1/5
Lewis River Damage Suits
1934
1/6
Ross Dam Reservoir Regulation Manuals
1953
1/7
Ross Dam Reservoir Regulation Manuals
1955
1/8
Ross Reservoir Operation Data
1953-1965
1/10
Skagit River Flood Report (USGS)
1918
1/11
Skagit River Flood, February 1932 (Includes Photographs)
1932-1933
1/12
Skagit River Flood, October, 1946
1946-1947
2/1
Skagit River Flood, June, 1948
1948
2/2
Skagit River Flood, November 1949
1949
2/3
Skagit River Flood, February 1951 (Includes Photographs)
1951
2/4
Skagit River Flood Control
1933-1948
2/5
Skagit River Flood Control
1948-1952
2/6
Skagit River Flood Control Correspondence
1949-1978
2/7
Skagit River Flood Data
1917-1957
2/8
Skagit River Flood Warning Service
1944-1954
2/9
Skagit River Flood Damage Suit
1946-1951
2/10
Skagit River Flood Damage Suit Exhibits
1945-1951
2/11
Snoqualmie River Flood Control Correspondence
1967-1971

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

  • Cedar River (King County, Wash.)
  • Flood control--Washington (State)
  • Floods--Washington (State)
  • Skagit River (B.C. and Wash.)

Corporate Names

  • Seattle City Light
  • Seattle (Wash.). Lighting Dept.

Geographical Names

  • Seattle (Wash.)

Form or Genre Terms

  • Negatives
  • Photographic prints