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Like many of the towns along the Fox River, Carpentersville exists because of a dam. In this case a dam was built in 1838 and a saw mill was built in 1839. East and West mill races were dug in 1844. If you look at a satellite image, the west one has silted in but the east one still contains water and control gates near the entrance.
I did this trip on the first clear day in over a week. That is, it had rained every day for a while before I took this photo. So I caught it with a heavy flow in the river. This theory is confirmed by a couple of Goggle Photos that show more typical river flows: Oct 2016 (note a fisherman is standing in the river) and Dec 2009.
I wonder if this dam replaced a "rolling dam" (drowning machine) such as the one in Wilmington, IL. The short sharp drop onto a gentle slope looks like it might avoid the rolling boil and erosion created by the dams that simply have a sharp drop.
A comparable view in Apr 2016 shows a similar heavy river flow. But a heavy flow in Spring is more expected than this heavy flow in January. (Some more Apr 2016 photos.)
I made a short video to capture the sound of the water flow and the turbulence.
After I took the top picture, I stepped back to catch the safe viewing platform that the Forest Preserve has provided. And I was reminded that dams attract bird watchers because the turbulent water does not freeze so it attracts birds, including bald eagles.
The Forest Preserve has mounted some interpretive signs. I found this part on ice harvesting particularly interesting.
The warning sign indicates this dam is an old fashioned "rolling dam." The PVC pipe is for fish line disposal.
I'm reminded that fishing license fees help finance maintaining access to rivers. In some places this does make it easier to get pictures of dams and bridges such as building parking lots.
This was the entrance to the west mill race before it silted up. I took this picture to record the water level. I wonder how much of this land is exposed during the Summer when the water flow is slow. "The dam created a large pool of water so that even during a drought enough water would be available to divert into the mill races and run the mill wheels. The level and speed in the race leading to the water wheels was controlled by a sluice gate at the entrance and outlet.... The gates were raised and lowered depending on the river's level and the mill's power requirements." [Forest Preserve interpretive sign]
I did this trip on the first clear day in over a week. That is, it had rained every day for a while before I took this photo. So I caught it with a heavy flow in the river. This theory is confirmed by a couple of Goggle Photos that show more typical river flows: Oct 2016 (note a fisherman is standing in the river) and Dec 2009.
I wonder if this dam replaced a "rolling dam" (drowning machine) such as the one in Wilmington, IL. The short sharp drop onto a gentle slope looks like it might avoid the rolling boil and erosion created by the dams that simply have a sharp drop.
I made a short video to capture the sound of the water flow and the turbulence.
The warning sign indicates this dam is an old fashioned "rolling dam." The PVC pipe is for fish line disposal.
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Nov 2024: the dam has been removed.
Friends of the Fox River posted five photos with the comment:
The deconstruction of the Carpenters Dam has been completed!The rest of the restoration work is up to the Fox River.Here are three panorama shots (click on the photos for the full view) from Monday showing the new shoreline at 1100 cubic feet per second flow. 1st is at the former dam site, next the upstream section at Fox River Shores Forest Preserve, and the third up to Longmeadow Parkway.The last two photos show the east side as of 11/11/24 as it is developing. Final photo demonstrates that the composition is primarily sand.Let the sculpting continuing.
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| 1 Former dam site. White rock marks the location. River is flowing left to right. |
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| 2 Fox River Shores parking lot. |
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| 3 Brunner Forest Preserve in the middle. |
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| 5 |
FOX RIVER DAMS - YES OR NO?
ReplyDeleteIn the fall of 2023 the US Army Corps of Engineers ("Army" to me) is asking for comments on a plan to remove dams on the Fox River in Illinois (this has been going on for a while already). Most were first built in the 1830s for sawmills and grist-mills (grain into flour). They don't change the total flow, just back up the water before it goes over them. Plan A is to take 10 of 13 down but there are a lot of parks on that water now so many cities have a Plan B.
Fox River background
ReplyDeleteThe Fox River (the one west of Chicago) is about two hundred miles long. It starts in Wisconsin, wanders down through the Chain of Lakes recreational area, then goes south thru Elgin to Aurora. From Aurora it goes southwest to Ottawa, on the Illinois River. Ottawa is the mouth, where it runs into the Illinois River, so the river miles are measured from there, south to north. The Fox isn't navigable, but it empties into the Illinois River, which is, so the Army Corps of Engineers runs it. I'm going to talk about dams and water power on the south half, not local history in general.
The Fox is basically a canoe-type river, too little water and too much drop to sail much on. But in the 1830s, when the Europeans got here, it looked like water power. Dams with mills went up from Carpentersville to Yorkville. The pools above the dams could also be frozen in winter and cut into ice blocks, handy to have in a dairy area.
Sawmills usually came first, but didn't always stay. They cut the local trees to build the basic town, but this area isn't timber, it's farm. The farmers wanted grist mills to grind grain into flour, soon they were at every dam. Then maybe some industry.
When steam engines and then electric motors developed they worked better, in the 1930s mills were closing. Some water power still shows up on the 1938-1939 aerial photos, I would guess World War II killed it off.
Today the south half of the Fox has little practical use other than for water, sewage treatment, and a little electricity from one dam, but most of the dams are still there. That might change. There is a strong support for taking down most of them, and the Army seems fine with it. Some are already gone. The different cities have different ideas, though, many want to keep some sort of dam. Some will be decided by "local elected officials", others by nameless state bureaucrats.
Some sources.
ReplyDeleteThe Fox River Study Group is an anti-dam non-profit with a lot of information and connections with various governments: https://www.foxriverstudygroup.org/river-restoration
Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps are building by building with details from around 1900. To get them search "city state sanborn" (batavia il sanborn) and the Library of Congress or University of Illinois will help you out on most (not all) cities. Try U. of I. first, they download better.
The US Geological Survey (USGS) maps aren't much use other than major land changes, the scale is just to big: https://ngmdb.usgs.gov/topoview/viewer/#10/41.8905/-88.2951
The Illinois Historical Aerial Photos (IHAP) from 1938-1939 always deserve mention: https://prairie-research.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=a251e0a92bd84f978e46a0b2f3b5a50f
Nothing that Sammy or Joon post comes from Wikipedia.
The first two dams, Stratton (mile 98.9, near McHenry) and Algonquin (mile 82.6), actually do something, they control the Chain of Lakes. The Army isn't even considering taking down either and the area is active so I don't care.
ReplyDeleteCARPENTERSVILLE (mile 78.8) is typical and the layout is still clear. The first dam went up in 1837 for a sawmill, probably on the west side. Unusually, the first grist mill went up on a creek, the one on the river was later. By 1855 there was a race on the west side with a foundry south of Main St., in 1892 there were factories on three corners of Main St. and the river.
What's left? Almost everything. Carpentersville, and especially Otto Co., who now owns most of it, really conserved/refurbished the area. I think every building that had water power in 1890 still exists. If you really care this is the place to go.
The east race had water in it in 2023. It sort of dies off in a private park (Otto Co., of course), but just south of there is a 1908 electric generating station. It was refurbished so it could work again, but something about the Army and diversions... Most of the water would have kept going south (about the Fox River Trail) past Chicago Railway Signal and Supply (2 East Main St. and everything north) with several races. The generating plant was theirs. Then the water went under Main St. to the Atlantic Flour Mill and a right angle back to the river. The 1846 mill building is Main Street Bicycles (39 E. Main St.) in 2023, the tail race went along the north end of the parking lot.
The west race looks like it's dried out, but I didn't get very close. It runs along Lincoln Ave. and ends at a parking lot. There were several races going east from there. It went under Main St. to the original blacksmith/forge, made a right turn, and went into the river. I don't see any sign of water power south of there (on either side). The forge became Illinois Iron and Bolt Co., which expanded north (10 West Main St.) and south of Main St.
Chicago Railway Signal and Chicago Iron and Bolt joined to become Star Manufacturing, which stayed in business until 1977(?) Otto started buying and fixing in 1979, they've done the whole place now.
The dam is doomed...maybe. In the fall of 2022 they were talking about taking it down in the spring or summer 2023, but it's still there in November.
Elgin's (mile 71.9) dam dates from 1836, with a grist mill on the east bank and sawmill on the west bank. In 1913 the east race went south from the dam almost to Chicago Ave. and the west one south almost to Highland Ave.
ReplyDeleteMill races can be tough to follow, especially in built up areas. They go under mills and factories, of course, but under streets and buildings that don't use them, too. And they can turn at right angles, I don't think of water doing that. They attract mills, foundries, furniture factories, and windmill manufacturers.
What's left? Almost nothing. The east bank is all government of one type or another. On the west Foundry Park is probably named after Woodruff and Edward's, a furniture manufacturer with a foundry on the north end. There was a windmill company, electric generating plant, and a mill south of it. All that is gone, but I kept looking. The four-story brick building on the northwest corner of State St. (Ill. 31) and Mountain St. marked "Heider Electric Supply Co. (80 Mountain St.) looks like it was part of the Elgin Wind Power and Pump Co. and is marked as having water power in 1913.
The Army says the dam is "under consideration". Elgin really wants/needs theirs, they use it for 70% of their city water and it will take between two and fifteen million bucks to deal with the lower river level. Plus the dam. Twenty-two million will get them lake water, which they badly need, but that's a lot of money for a city without much.
ST. CHARLES (60.6) first dam went up in 1834-1835 just north of Main St. There was a mill on the east side and two on the west.
ReplyDeleteWhat’s left? Nothing, unless you count the Hotel Baker, which did have hydro-electric power when built in 1928. That’s so late that I wonder if it was eccentric "Colonel" Baker’s "toy" in the basement.
The Army says that it is under consideration but St. Charles has a good deep-water park and doesn't want to lose it. In 2015 their plan was to have a wide "Riverwalk" on both banks north from Main St. (Ill. 64) to the railroad bridge. They would move the dam north to the railroad bridge and then a couple of lower dams so you can have pools and rapids to canoe and kayak through.
GENEVA'S (mile 56.3) first dam was built in 1837-1838 and had a sawmill on the east bank. A grist mill soon followed, by 1885 there was also a mill and a factory on the west bank.
ReplyDeleteWhat's left? On the east side Old Mill Park is where the Bennett Mill was, the parking on Water St. is where the race was. There's still one of their elevators facing Bennett St. (Ill 25). On the west side the Howell Foundry has been nicely refurbished.
The Army says that it is under consideration. Geneva has an "Island Park", but it's downstream from the dam, would it be changed much?
BATAVIA (mile 56.3) calls itself "the Windmill City", I didn't know that in 1900 the windmills were being built by water power. Most of the area between River St. on the East to Water St. on the West and from the dam on the North to the sewage treatment plant on the South was water-power related.
ReplyDeleteThe first dam went up in 1935(?), probably for a sawmill on the east bank. Looks like a grist mill next. Then industry moved in, two windmill manufacturers, a farm equipment manufacturer, a wagon works, a couple of foundries, probably something I missed. Some of them worked through World War II (nothing closed then, war work) but I don't know how important water was by then. After the war companies started closing, some of the buildings have continued in other uses right up to today.
What's left? A lot, but some of it isn't clear. On the east bank, north of Wilson St., the Challenge Windmill Co. is from the dam south. It's a mess just now but is crying out to be condo-ed.
The west end of the dam is to "the Island", it's a high-rise today. The "rapids"/race south of it was filled during World War II and reconstructed when the Riverwalk was built. The Batavia City Hall was part of Appleton farm equipment, there is nothing left of Newton Wagon south of it.
Now ghosts, and big ones. The Depot Pond was a mill pond that continued south all the way to Wilson St., Houston St. and the land south was filled in. The race went under Wilson St. in a culvert or something then spread out going south to Mill St. (aka 1st St.). Mill St. and Island/Shumway Ave. was a race for more Newton Wagon, west at Water St. was a race for the US Wind Engine (I think it went under the long N/S building on the east side)
The Army says the dam is under consideration. Batavia wants it, it keeps water in the Depot Pond. In 2023 they approved a plan for a modified dam.
BATAVIA SOUTH crossed over south of town, behind Funway. There were two dams straddling a little island. The Forest Preserve removed it in 2006.
ReplyDeleteI haven't found out yet when it was built or what it did. I do have a wild guess. The Chicago, Aurora, and Elgin Railroad had a monster steam electrical generating plant where Funway is and it used six million gallons of water a day (that sounds like a lot but I don't really know). They also had a typical interurban amusement park, Glenwood Park (now a Forest Preserve), which was a huge draw. I wonder if the dam was theirs.
What's left? I didn't want to ride down a fisherman's trail and didn't have a lock, so maybe when the leaves fall...
North Aurora (mile 52.6) started late and never really caught up. There was more than I thought, tho, I found a map, so this is v.2. In the 1860s a sawmill was opened on the east bank and a grist mill on the west one. The sawmill used a small channel of the river as a race, some control from the east bank to a little island. The dam itself goes from the island to the west bank across the main channel. There was a foundry south of the sawmill on the little island. In 1897 it was getting electricity from the sawmill, there's a story there. There was a lot of early action on the east bank south of NAPA (2 S. Grant St.) too, I know it related to the race, but I don't know how. The grist mill on the west side looks like it might have had a constructed race?
ReplyDeleteWhat's left? Just the water. Riverfront Park and Village Hall are where the Hartsburg and Hawksley Sash and Blind factory was. It kept using water power into the 1930s, the last water power in the state, and finally closed in 1969. The river/race water goes under the park and gushes out under a sidewalk/bridge behind village hall. It looks like a fast flow, it keeps the race moving and clear. South of State St. there are a bunch of back yards on the east bank, but the island is all park (that Linda's family swam and canoed at!). The North Aurora Mill Co. on the west side was east of Monroe St. and the Fire Dept., some railroad tracks went through there too. I don't think there is anything left, but I didn't look. With Harner's right there and A&W just around the corner...
The Army says "planning for removal". I wonder if that just means no money yet (the state owns it). This structure itself only dates back to 1975, I think all the dams have been replaced at least once.
I lived in North Aurora on 20 Grant St. from the early-mid 1950's til 1963. The mill race ran through our back yard and the island was wild and woolly back then, with trees, brush and lots of animals. The only thing on the South State Street part of the island was the little Messenger Library building, with the old pot belly stove inside.
DeleteI spent very many days, months and years in that mill race water, wading finding crawdads, tadpoles, and fishing. The neighborhood kids on Grant St. and I also tried walking across the old Fox River wooden dam when the water wasn't flowing over 100% The 1st to go in our 4 person line stepped in a patch of water and green moss and fell on his backside and slid down the dam into the water below. We quickly ran off the dam and rescued him.
In early 1950's I can remember going to a big old building on the North side of the island and was on the West side of the mill race. That big building was a tavern. I don't remember what the name of the tavern was but an old funny story was that my dad was in there one day, and after having had several beers with the fellas, a fireman ran in to the tavern saying he needed someone to hurry and volunteer to drive the firetruck to a fire that was burning. My dad volunteered and drove the truck, and they did put the fire out. Can you imagine the fire department captain running into a tavern and needing a driver today?
I loved living there with the mill race water and Fox River as my playground. I used to stop at the little store by the mill race bridge and see the vehicle with "Johnny's Snacks" logo on it parked in front. I wondered if anyone has photos of that mill race area, the old buildings, the small State St. bridge that crossed the mill race, or island pics before it was a park? Thanks for reading my memories.
You really made my day. North Aurora was one of my first stops, the mill park is really good. First, with the race running there, you really get a good feel of the place. And the exhibits. I've looked at a lot of rusty metal but this taught me something. I was thinking paddle-wheels, of course they evolved into turbines mounted flat. That's how the races can turn so sharply. Duh.
DeleteMessenger Public Library is still in business, check this: https://www.messengerpl.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/NA-101-PowerPoint-Slides.pdf
I don't like to buy, much less sell, so this isn't click-bait. Arcadia Publishing prints a bunch of 128 page local history books all written about the same way. To me twenty-five bucks is a lot of money, I'll pick up used ones at Half-Price Books if they interest me. Here's a link, it's your money: https://www.amazon.com/North-Aurora-1834-1940-Images-America/dp/0738541087?asin=0738541087&revisionId=&format=4&depth=1
Google satellite shows 20 S. Grant as probably the same house updated? The real estate sites don't show when it was built, they usually do. We know that it wasn't tract housing!
Have a nice day.
Great information Sammy D!
ReplyDeleteAurora (mile 48.9) is a railroad and manufacturing town to me, I never cared about the downtown before. The Fox River runs sort of northeast to southwest here, I'm going to use north to south. My "east" bank is actually southeast here.
ReplyDeleteIn 1834 Joseph McCarty claimed the east bank and then the west bank slightly later(?). He apparently sold the west bank to Zaphne Lake within months of claiming it. Some Stolp bought the island for his nephew Joseph sometime, my guess is from McCarty too.
In 1835 the dams went up. There was one from each bank to the north end of the island (the island's grown since then).
In 1835 the first sawmill on the east bank opened (I don't know where). A grist mill went up in 1837, I think it was just north of Galena Blvd. (aka Main St.). And I think there was at least one other sawmill on the east bank somewhere.
In 1837 Joseph Stolp showed up and immediately got to work building a wool carding mill at the north end of his island. In 1849 he built a brick building south of there and expanded it in 1858. It closed in 1887, market changes after 50 years. The building was used, maybe with water power, until it burned down in 1906.
In 1869 Joe and a couple of partners opened a silver-plating company, but it burned down two years later. That's when they built a huge (for the day) brick building. It was electrified in 1913 (big motors driving the same shafts?) and the race along its north side was closed in December. That was the end of water power, on the island at least. In 1919 they changed names (were bought?) and in 1922 they moved away.
In 1841 Charles Hoyt bought the west bank from Lake and built a grist mill (abandoned by 1897). He had a sawmill north of it, the sawmill evolved into a woodworking tool manufacturer, using most (all?) of the west bank from Downer Pl. (aka Fox St.) north to about New York St.
Side note: In 1849 lawyer Abraham Lincoln worked for Hoyt in a patents case (they eventually won). After that Abe asked Hoyt for political help, which Hoyt gave him.
What's left? Nothing on the east side. The 44 E. Galena Blvd. building (Fox Valley United Way) on the north side looks like the movie theater that was built on the Aurora City Mill location.
On the west side there's a Hoyt Place. In the 1930s the company was gone, some parking lot/garage took up south of Galena and a theater was north. Now it's Waubonsee College south and a parking structure north. There is a building that looks like it had water at 20-32 West Downer Pl. but that was built over the river later (that must be some deed, huh?).
Stolp Island is different. Half of the Aurora Silver Plating Manufacturing Co. is still there. 6 E. Downer Pl., "Charlie's Silver Spoon Creamery", was the headquarters and salesroom. Then, looking on Google Maps Satellite view, the building just northeast, three story dark brick with arch windows? That's the east half of the plating works. There was another wing between it and the office building until it burned down in 1922. The strange-shaped "Keystone" building north of it, built in 1923, covers the footprint of that wing and the filled race. Almost everything north of there was the mill race or a "swimming pond" and was built up from the 1920s.
The Aurora Woolen Mills (Stolp Building after 1887) has some ghosts left. It burned in 1906, in 1915 the Metropolitan Business College at 10 West Downer Pl. was built on its footprint, including the races. Just east, at 2 West Downer Pl., is the Stolp Store from 1866. It's a separate and later building than the mill. But on the west side of and behind the 10 West building is a little brick building with a stone basement hiding in the trees. That's the oldest building on the island, an 1858 out-building of the mill. The tail race ran right in front (north side) of it.
Aurora is worried about the New York St. bridge, built in 1931. It was actually built from the east bank to the west one, north of the island, and it's still there. Aurora wants the casino gone and the bridge pilings intact. I would guess that they have water problems too.