Cottonwood River Dam

Cottonwood River Dam. . , The Cottonwood River Dam visible today was built from cut limestone and later coated with concrete. The first dam was constructed of cottonwood logs in 1860 during a severe drought when the river bed was dry. The dam provided water power for a saw and grist mill. The land for the mill was given to J.B. Smith and L.D. Hinckley by Mr. Isaac Alexander who owned, surveyed and developed the townsite between the Courthouse and the river, known in 1859 as North Cottonwood Falls., The grist mill was the only mill serving Cottonwood Falls within a 100 mile radius until about 1864 when a flour mill was added to the original mill. In 1906, the original mill was purchased by the Home Light and Power Company Elevator and expanded to include generation of electricity. The mill stopped grinding in 1913 and was operated as an ice plant until 1925., The head race and several supporting walls can still be seen at the south end of the dam.