When Frank Pomeroy and his crew originally set up to take this picture, the intent was to create a picture that would communicate the scale to which the dam was being build. Every one of those horizontal lines on the back face of the dam were five feet apart. This suggests what massive amounts of concrete went into construction.

The picture was taken with a single flashbulb. Mrs. Frank Pomeroy (Josie), is the woman in the lower right, who was placed in the picture for scale. The first and second nights that they took pictures was spent determining the proper exposure and placement of the flashgun. The second and third nights were spent getting everyone properly positioned, but the shots they got lacked the proper impact.

On the fourth and final night, they came up with the idea of standing someone between the flash and the face of the dam to cast the giant shadow.

Scores of negatives were shot, but this is the picture where everything went right. It was released to the press and printed in numerous newspapers, but the Monster of Coulee Dam was widely talked about. This is the first time in more than fifty years that this picture has been published.