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original wing dam, but was built on sand and portions of it were washed out by flood waters in the summer of 1859. The dam was repaired, but washed out again the following summer. The Little Falls
Manufacturing Company faltered due to a number of factors, including "the ill effects of the economic depression that swept the frontier and ultimately the nation in the late 1850s." William Sturgis and James Fergus left their Little Falls business interests in the hands of their wives while they went west in search of gold. The story of this chapter in Little Falls history is told through letters written between James and his wife Pamelia in the book "The Gold Rush Widows of Little Falls" by Linda Peavy and Ursula Smith.
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Construction of the fourth Little Falls dam, this one made of concrete, started with the east wing in 1914. Construction on the west wing was underway by 1918. The dam, including a new power house, was completed by 1921. The larger additional power house was built to house two additional generators,
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formed the Little Falls Water Power
Company. A new dam was completed in 1888 as a means to redevelop Little Falls, and this created jobs and attracted immigrants to the town. "Prior to the construction of the third dam, the 1880 census showed a population of 508 people in Little Falls. By 1890, the
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William
Sturgis bought the dam and, with Calvin Tuttle and James Fergus, formed the Little Falls Company, later called Little Falls Manufacturing Company. The company built a larger dam, sawmill, cabinet shop and bridge and owned about 2,000 acres (8.1 km) of land. The new dam replaced the
184:; but when settlers showed up in the area there were other markets for the lumber. James Green, along with a group of co-partners, was the owner of the first dam, a wing dam built on the east channel of the falls. Green died in 1850 and the dam, mill and land were sold.
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population more than quadrupled, reaching 2,354 people. By 1895, it had grown again, more than doubling to a total of 5,116. The dam, and the industries it attracted, was a major factor in that growth."
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Because generating electricity by water power has little overhead and no fuel costs, this relatively small 4.5 megawatt dam remains economically profitable.
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The new dam raised the water level an additional four and half feet. This submerged the water power mill at the mouth of the
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The Little Falls Mill and Land
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with a third generator being added during the 1980s. Further improvements were made from 2005 to 2010.
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ten miles downstream, Little Falls Dam was purchased by
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In 1978, automation for
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Buildings and structures in
Morrison County, Minnesota
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324:The Gold Rush Widows of Little Falls
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191:In 1887, a group of investors from
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18:Little Falls Dam (Potomac River)
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442:Dams on the Mississippi River
366:"Four Dams at Little Falls"
351:"Four Dams at Little Falls"
269:"Four Dams at Little Falls"
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135:24 ft (7.3 m)
101:Construction began
50:Little Falls, Minnesota
452:Dams completed in 1888
85:45.97500°N 94.36861°W
23:Dam in Minnesota, USA
16:For another dam, see
391:at Wikimedia Commons
247:"Community Building"
193:Louisville, Kentucky
406:Next dam downstream
90:45.97500; -94.36861
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398:Next dam upstream
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109:Opening date
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182:Fort Ripley
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64:Coordinates
431:Categories
275:2015-01-08
253:2015-01-08
232:References
76:94°22′07″W
73:45°58′30″N
166:Minnesota
54:Minnesota
223:Riverton
122:Impounds
46:Location
176:History
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143:830 ft
140:Length
132:Height
152:is a
330:ISBN
301:ISBN
112:1888
104:1887
58:USA
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Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
