BPA Posters
Posters created by the Bonneville Power Administration to support the development of regional, public, large-scale hydropower in the Columbia River basin. Originally financed to support rural electrification, irrigation, navigation, and economic development during the Great Depression, the Columbia River power system dams fueled electricity-intense industries, such as alumimum smelters, in World War II. These posters show the connection between hydroelectric dams in the Northwest, local motivation, and global politics.
Click on each one to review in full scale.
The BPA website has been revamped with heavy messaging about the agency purpose. The library, from which these posters were resourced 15 years ago, is buried a bit, housed on the old website.
Bonneville Power Administration >>
Original films with extraordinary footage showing the development of the dams in the 1930s >>
