Water Power at the Neligh Mill

Water Power at the Neligh Mill. . , Water = Power , The Elkhorn River was an unlimited source of water power for flour mills and other manufacturing enterprises. But entrepreneurs found the meandering river difficult to harness. Too much water was as bad as too little., The key to successful water power use was adequate "water head," the height of water backed up above a dam. The higher the dam, the more power is generated. "Fall" is the change in vertical elevation over the course of a stream or river. Because Nebraska is relatively flat with low stream fall, dams backed up water further upstream, which created larger mill ponds. Larger mill ponds were difficult and expensive to manage., Mill Dams , The mill dam created the head necessary to power a water mill. Two types of dams were utilized at Neligh over the years., The brush dam, a quickly-built temporary structure made of brush anchored by pilings and covered with earth, rocks, and sod was the earliest dam. Brush dams were inherently unstable and frequently washed out or were easily damaged by high water. As early as 1890, the Neligh Mill began to require a nine-foot head to provide adequate power. Debris and brush were added to the top of a brush dam to raise it., Frame dams with solid concrete bases and wings and inter-locking sheet piling replaced brush dams after 1900. The Neligh Mill frame dam was built in 1903. As more machinery was added to the mill plant, dams were raised to increase horsepower., Problems of Water Power , Harnessing the Elkhorn River proved difficult for mill operators. The stream's sandy bottom caused dams and flumes to settle. High water often changed the river's course at Neligh so it flowed in a south channel, not in the main channel past the mill. Raising dams to produce more water power meant building higher and longer dikes and levees to contain larger upstream mill ponds., Ice breakups and jams had to be dynamited out to ensure clear river flow. Burrowing muskrats undermined dikes and dams and caused leaks and washouts. Water trouble and mechanical problems with gears, shafts, and power drives periodically idled the mill and decreased production., Farmers and townspeople frequently turned out to help repair flood damage. In 1900 the Neligh Mill began generating local electrical power using water. Gasoline and diesel engines powered the mill and electrical systems in times of water power loss., The End of Water Power , Water power problems could shut down the mill for weeks or months, with resulting financial losses. Annual repairs and improvements to dams and dikes could cost thousands of dollars even though the water was free. Flooding in 1915 changed the river's channels yet again. So the mill used the large diesel engine, installed to generate electric power, to run equipment during the busy World War I years. This auxiliary power cost the mill company an initial investment and fuel, but provided a dependable power source., A new flume and penstock built in 1919 promised a return to water power. But a 1920 flood washed away the mill company's commitment. It totally abandoned water power after years of frustration and large expenditures. Thereafter the mill depended on diesel or electrical power., In 1976 the Nebraska State Historical Society reconstructed the headgate, flume, and penstock. Flood waters destroyed the last remnants of the mill dam in June 2010.