Dam Right!: Fred Lynch, Oscar Kendall & The Lynch Brothers Diamond Drilling Company

This book is the first history of the Lynch Brothers Diamond Drilling Company, unsung heroes in the economic development of the Pacific Northwest. Founded by the sons of Irish immigrants, this small company paved the way for mineral exploration and dam construction in Oregon, Washington, Alaska, British Columbia, and beyond. They were the first workers on the historic Skagit River Project which brought electricity to Seattle and the epic Grand Coulee Dam, the largest concrete structure ever built.

This book also presents the first ever biographical histories of two men who were, in their own times, famous characters in the Pacific Northwest: Seattle's Fred Lynch, the beloved "Singing Policeman" of KOMO during the heyday of live radio, and his uncle, Portland's Oscar J. Kendall, the ill-fated "steam-dye man," who saw his life change dramatically after an accident with an electric street car in Stump Town's wild 1890s.

This is a family history as it should be written: full of colorful characters and historical anecdotes. From County Waterford, Ireland to Michigan's Upper Peninsula, chaotic Butte, Montana to booming Juneau, Alaska, and finally to the majestic Pacific Northwest, this book follows the industrious Lynch Brothers as they try to do everything Dam Right!