Quincy Valley Historical Society & Museum (Out of Many, One display)

Best Potatoes By A Dam Site potato sack

Before the Grand Coulee Dam transformed the Columbia Basin, Lt. Thomas Symons, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers described the region in 1970s as a desert, pure and simple. Today, thanks to irrigation power, this once arid land has become one of Americas most productive agricultural areas. This gunny sack, potato bag, emblazoned with the slogan Best Potatoes By A Dam Site, pays tribute to the dams enduring legacy and the bounty it made possible, from potatoes to countless other crops.

How it represents the community’s American experience:

We believe people chose this above the others we displayed because agriculture has been the predominant force in our area since the early 1900s and especially since the 1950s when irrigation water turned the desert into an agricultural oasis. The potato bag gives homage to both the source of the Columbia Basin Project, which is the Grand Coulee Dam, and also what it has produced in our valley – a myriad of crops, with potatoes being one of the largest grown. Grant County is the largest potato producing county in the United States.

On display at the Quincy Valley Historical Society & Museum, Fridays & Saturdays, 1–5 pm. May–October 2026.