The Bonneville Dam is constructed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on the Columbia River in Oregon. It was the first of eight federal locks and dams on the Columbia and Snake Rivers. The dam provided hydropower, improved navigation, and helped to control flooding, playing a key role in the economic development of the Pacific Northwest. Its construction was part of the New Deal's large-scale public works programs.

The Bonneville Dam, like the Grand Coulee, is part of the great transformation of the Columbia River, a theme that runs through the literature of the Pacific Northwest. The dam's impact on the region's ecology and economy has been explored by poets and writers who seek to understand the complex relationship between human engineering and the natural environment. It is a symbol of the post-war boom and the promise of abundant energy that shaped the American dream.