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Oscoda in Iosco County, Michigan — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
 

Five Channels Dam Workers Camp / Hydroelectric Power

 
 
Five Channels Dam Workers Camp Marker Side image. Click for full size.
Photographed By J.T. Lambrou, October 27, 2021
1. Five Channels Dam Workers Camp Marker Side
Inscription.

Five Channels Dam Workers Camp

Consumers Power Company (now Consumers Energy) built Five Channels Dam in 1911 and 1912. It was the second of six hydroelectric plants to be built on the lower Au Sable River by the Foote brothers of Jackson (the founders of Consumers Power). During construction the company sought to provide a healthy environment for workers and their families by building a forty-five-acre camp complete with a central water supply and sewage system, icehouse, school, washroom, store, and boardinghouse. Workers received land on which to build a house. Housing ranged from log or clapboard houses to tarpaper shacks and tents. Camp buildings were moved to the next site (Loud Dam) or razed as the plant neared completion in late 1912.

Hydroelectric Power
Flowing water has long provided power to mines and mills. With advances in electricity in the 1800s, waterpower was soon used to generate electricity. The first public demonstration of hydroelectric power in the country occurred on July 24, 1880, when sixteen carbon arc street lamps lit up Grand Rapids using a belt driven dynamo (generator) powered by a water turbine at the Wolverine Chair Factory. Michigan´s extensive water resources were harnessed to power electric generating equipment first at existing dams and mills and later at sites built
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expressly for hydroelectric generation. The electricity from these plants provided power to homes and businesses and helped fuel Michigan´s growth as one of the nation´s premier industrial states.
 
Erected 2005 by Michigan Historical Commission - Michigan Historical Center. (Marker Number L2143.)
 
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Waterways & Vessels. In addition, it is included in the Michigan Historical Commission series list. A significant historical date for this entry is July 24, 1880.
 
Location. 44° 27.301′ N, 83° 40.591′ W. Marker is in Oscoda, Michigan, in Iosco County. Marker can be reached from Old M-65 Trail, 0.2 miles east of Loud Dam Road. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 6051 Old M-65 Trail, Oscoda MI 48750, United States of America. Touch for directions.
 
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 3 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Au Sable River International Canoe Marathon (approx. 1.8 miles away); Lumberman’s Monument (approx. 2.9 miles away); High Accuracy Geodetic Control Mark (approx. 2.9 miles away); Jam Below! (approx. 2.9 miles away); Working the River (approx. 2.9 miles away); At The Rollway (approx. 2.9 miles away); Symbols of Law and Order (approx. 2.9 miles away); Legacy (approx. 3 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Oscoda.
 
Hydroelectric Power Marker Side image. Click for full size.
Photographed By J.T. Lambrou, October 27, 2021
2. Hydroelectric Power Marker Side
Five Channels Dam Workers Camp / Hydroelectric Power Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By J.T. Lambrou, October 27, 2021
3. Five Channels Dam Workers Camp / Hydroelectric Power Marker
Five Channels Dam image. Click for full size.
Photographed By J.T. Lambrou, October 27, 2021
4. Five Channels Dam
Five Channels Dam image. Click for full size.
Photographed By J.T. Lambrou, October 27, 2021
5. Five Channels Dam
 
 
Credits. This page was last revised on October 28, 2021. It was originally submitted on October 28, 2021, by J.T. Lambrou of New Boston, Michigan. This page has been viewed 180 times since then and 17 times this year. Photos:   1, 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on October 28, 2021, by J.T. Lambrou of New Boston, Michigan. • J. Makali Bruton was the editor who published this page.

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Mar. 28, 2024