208:. When it was first commissioned, it was called the Hen Island Dam. The name Twin Branch Dam comes from the Twin Branch Creek which empties into the St. Joseph River just above the dam. The prior name for the dam, "Hen Island Dam," came from an island that used to be just below the dam where a riverboat resident used the island to raise geese and chickens. There were two islands, one named "Hen Island" and the other "Goose Island". Both islands were taken by the river by the 1950s.
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A $ 3.4 million upgrade was made to the power plant in 1989, with two generators replaced as part of the upgrade. The generators were replaced after a period of nine-years being out of service, one was out of service because of shaft failure, the other was broken down in 1979, performing only at 60%
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The dam was built by the
Sanderson & Porter, company of New York City. The dam was commissioned on February 26, 1900. The company that commissioned the dam was the St. Joseph and Elkhart Power Company. It was incorporated on February 28, 1900, with a first issue of capital stock for $ 50,000. The
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When the Hen Island Dam was in the process of being built it was billed as "The Great Dam Now Under
Construction at Hen Island is a Stupendous Feat of Engineering. Interesting Legal Battle." The power plant was connected to the Elkhart Power Company and power was first produced on December 16, 1903,
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There were 30 arc lights that had been installed to allow construction to take place at night on the project. Over 2.5 million feet of lumber was used to construct the dam. The lumber was used to build cribbing and drive piles 20 feet into the river. There were over 2,000 piles driven into the
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Joseph and
Elkhart Power Company St. Joseph C.C. The planned project for the Hen Island Dam was successful in the Circuit Court, the Indiana Supreme Court, and the United States Supreme Court refused to hear the case. The legal battle took over two years and was settled between the two companies.
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They acquired the rights to over a thousand acres of land that would be flooded. Because of the size of the dam and the view that it would impact the planned project upstream by the
Indiana Power Company, litigation between the two companies was filed. The case was Indiana Power Company vs. St.
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In 1922 the dam was in need of repair
Indiana & Michigan constructed a concert cover over a steel frame. In the 1922 upgrades the power plant finally got the two new generators to bring the dam's generators to the planned six. In 1957, the dam only generated 7,200 kilowatts of power.
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The St. Joseph and
Elkhart Power company was also sued by the St. Joseph Navigation Company in Federal Court, seeking an injunction to stop the dam. The case was filed because the dam would block navigation up the river.
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In 1904, Charles A Chapin, purchased the interest that South Bend
Electric Co had in the dam for over a $ 1,000,000. St. Joseph and Elkhart Power company merged with the Indiana & Michigan company in 1907.
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In 1835 was the first attempt to build a dam on the St. Joseph River near the Twin Branch Dam it was commissioned by the St. Joseph Iron Works. The attempt was abandoned in 1837.
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The original plan was for the plant to have six alternating three-phase generators of 800 kilowatts each, with thirty large turbine wheels connected in tandem.
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river bed. They were filled with gravel and stone. The dam when it was built housed four horizontal turbine wheels that measured 51-inch.
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495:"Million Dollars for a Dam: Argument in the case of the St. Joseph Navigation Company"
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545:"Turbine Pits and Foundation For Power House at Twin Branch Dam near Completion"
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585:"Charles A. Chapin: Reported to have Purchased a Big Power Plant at Mishawaka"
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517:"The St. Joseph Valley To Have a Mammoth Power Plant-Detail of Scheme"
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while the dam was still under the control of
Sanderson & Porter.
401:"Nov 03, 1957, page 46 - The South Bend Tribune at Newspapers.com"
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company took over the Home
Electric Light and Power Company.
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is the tallest dam with a hydroelectric power station on the
362:"Preliminary Notes on the Biology of the St. Joseph River"
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Buildings and structures in St. Joseph County, Indiana
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This hydro-electric dam is capable of producing 2,600
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590:. Kalamazoo Saturday Telegraph. February 27, 1904
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565:. The Indianapolis journal. December 18, 1903
428:. Richmond daily palladium. February 28, 1900
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450:. The Indianapolis journal. February 1, 1901
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278:. The dam has been owned and operated by
735:Energy infrastructure completed in 1903
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339:"Harnessing the Broad St. Joseph River"
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522:. Kalamazoo Telegraph. October 8, 1901
296:List of dams and reservoirs in Indiana
740:Hydroelectric power plants in Indiana
642:"CELEBRATING NATIONAL HYDROPOWER DAY"
616:"Twin Branch hydro dam given a boost"
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470:"Higher Courts' Record Supreme Court"
183:Indiana & Michigan Power Company
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622:. The South Bend Tribune. p. 41
563:"Power is Delivered from hen Island"
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128:Indiana & Michigan Power Company
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614:Dodson, Paul (August 13, 1989) .
18:Dam in St. Joseph County, Indiana
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366:The American Midland Naturalist
551:. October 11, 1902. p. 8.
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360:Dolley, John (May 1, 1933).
144:Gravity, Timber Crib, Earth
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49:St. Joseph County, Indiana
220:Planning and legal battle
170:946 ft (288 m)
280:American Electric Power
725:Dams completed in 1903
646:Indiana Michigan Power
549:The South Bend Tribune
284:Indiana Michigan Power
162:41 ft (12 m)
116:Construction cost
76:41.665887°N 86.13272°W
140:Type of dam
188:Commission date
81:41.665887; -86.13272
72: /
648:. August 24, 2022
212:Prior dam attempt
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134:Dam and spillways
108:Opening date
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40:United States
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29:Official name
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650:. Retrieved
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286:since 1922.
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240:Construction
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119:$ 2,000,000
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266:operation.
180:Operator(s)
103:Operational
79: /
55:Coordinates
714:Categories
302:References
67:86°07′58″W
64:41°39′57″N
276:kilowatts
270:Operation
652:June 29,
626:June 30,
594:June 29,
569:June 29,
526:June 29,
501:June 29,
476:June 29,
454:June 29,
432:June 29,
410:June 29,
345:June 29,
290:See also
149:Impounds
124:Owner(s)
45:Location
680:Indiana
666:Portals
253:History
206:Indiana
92:Purpose
37:Country
167:Length
159:Height
100:Status
692:Water
588:(PDF)
520:(PDF)
95:Power
654:2024
628:2024
596:2024
571:2024
528:2024
503:2024
478:2024
456:2024
434:2024
412:2024
347:2024
191:1900
111:1903
204:in
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Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.