Rum River Dam

Rum River Dam. . , Construction on the first dam began in late summer 1853. The dam was built using rocks, earth, and tamarack logs for pilings, which were cut from the swamps near Round Lake in Andover, MN. The dam was used to divert water to power the saw mill, which was also under construction on the east bank., In May 1854 high water damaged the dam; and in just a few short hours the center section of the dam was washed away. Repairs to the dam were made by cutting away the timbers over the washout and lowering cribs made of brush and timber, weighted down with stones and sandbags, into the gap until the hole was plugged. Other washouts occurred through the years, and each time a new dam was built in the same location., The dam spurred economic development in Anoka. The mills accounted for the majority of the jobs in town. The dam did provide power to saw mills and flour mills on the east bank, but by the 1870s steam power was considered to be a more reliable source of power as it did not depend on the river levels., [Captions:] , Circa 1880, Washout - early 1900s, Circa 1914, Photos and historical information courtesy of the Anoka County Historical Society.