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| Street View, Aug 2016 |
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| USACE, St. Paul District posted We #TBT to April 22, 1882, when the first pilings were driven in for #WinnibigoshishDam, located near #DeerRiver, #Minnesota. The original dam, made in part from nearly 2 million feet of white and Norway pine, was replaced in 1899 by the concrete structure that still sits in Lake Winnibigoshish today. The name Winnibigoshish is #Chippewa, meaning rough water. |
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| John Weeks "The original dam at this location was a wooden dam started in 1881 and finished in 1884. It was replaced with a concrete dam in 1899-1900. A 12-foot log sluice and a 5-foot fish ladder was added in 1912. These additions are no longer in use. The bridge deck was added in 1909, and rebuilt in 1990. "This was the first major reservoir built on the Mississippi River. The US Army Corps of Engineers report that the dam and reservoir were built to be a resource that would benefit the entire nation. Water released from northern reservoirs would help make the shipping season more predictable and safer. Today, the dam is used to keep the lake at a constant level of 1,297 feet above sea level. The shipping lanes are now managed by downstream locks and dams, leaving the lake available for recreational purposes. "The lake is 67,000 acres, with about 140 miles of shoreline. Unlike lakes in the Brainerd Lakes area, Winnibigoshish remains mostly undeveloped. As the fifth largest lake in Minnesota, it is considered to be the crown jewel for fishing, and some of the best walleye fishing in the world. One key to the excellent fish habitat is that this lake is located on a major river, which keeps the lake flushed clean." |
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| hmdb |
The Corps of Engineers dates back to the Revolutionary War. On June 16, 1775, the day before the Battle of Bunker Hill, the Continental Congress appointed a Chief Engineer and two assistants for the Grand Army; a few years later, in 1779, Congress formally established the Corps of Engineers.In 1860, Major General Warren, the first St. Paul District Engineer, performed field surveys in the Mississippi River Headwaters region. Ten years later, Congress authorized a study to determine whether a series of dams and reservoirs constructed in this area could assist in stabilizing water flow in the Mississippi River between St. Paul, Minnesota, and Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin. As a result of these studies, the St. Paul District designed a system of dams capable of raising water levels and storing annual spring runoff in six existing lake systems, for release when low water downstream caused hazards to navigation. Congress funded the Headwaters projects, and the dams were constructed and placed in operation between 1884 and 1912.Today, by a series of locks and dams, the Corps maintains a 9-foot deep navigation channel below Minneapolis, Minn. The Headwaters reservoirs no longer serve the purpose for which they were constructed, but do provide flood control and storage for additional water during periods of drought, and offer outstanding opportunities for water-based recreation activities. In addition, the lakes support major populations of fish, and provide habitat for a number of furbearing mammals. The forests, marshes, and wetlands also furnish a haven for many species of wildlife and waterfowl.Winnibigoshish Dam, located on the Leech Lake Indian Reservation, was the first constructed in the system of six dams. It is located on the Mississippi River 170 river miles from its source in Lake Itasca and 1,244 river miles from its mouth at the Gulf Coast. The original structure, built at the outlet of the lake and completed in 1884, was of timber-crib on timber piles. By 1903 the timber structure had deteriorated and was replaced by concrete. Today the dam is a 162-foot-long concrete structure on timber piles. It controls the runoff from a 1,442-square-mile drainage area that includes 28 lakes. The original construction was done by a crew of about 300 skilled and unskilled workers at an initial cost of $75,000.Lake Winnibigoshish (67,000 acres in size, with 141 miles of shoreline) fills a basin formed by a huge ice block left behind by a receding glacier, and is surrounded by glacial deposits. Several archaeological sites along the shore provide evidence of prehistoric settlements. The Ojibwa named it "miserable-wretched-dirty-water" (Winnibigoshish) because of the effect of storm winds churning up the muddy bottom.[hmdb]
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| hmdb "This timber dam at Lake Winnibigoshish was the first in a system of six dams built in the Headwaters of the Mississippi River. ca. 1898, Minnesota Historical Society" |
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| hmdb "This 1880 log sluice in a northern Minnesota dam allowed a sufficient volume of water through to carry logs to the next logging dam. ca. 1880, Minnesota Historical Society" |
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| hmdb "Lake Winnibigoshish Dam and Reservoir. ca. 1975" |
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| hmdb "In 1885 laborers at Lake Winnibigoshish were paid $30.00 per month. ca. March 1884" |
Significance: The Lake Winnibigoshish Reservoir Dam is one of six Mississippi River Headwaters Reservoir dam sites that are historically significant for their association with navigation, commerce, tourism, the Ojibway Indians, and U.S. Indian policy in Minnesota in the late 19th century.By providing a consistent flow of water throughout the navigation season, the Winnibigoshish Dam enhanced navigation and aided in the commercial development of the Upper Mississippi River. The dam site was also one of the earliest non-Indian settlements in the region and by the late 19th century was attracting some of the first tourists to the area.- The dam had a devastating impact on the Ojibway Indians who lived along the lake's shores. The project precipitated a century-long conflict between the tribe and the U.S. government over the damages resulting from the inundation of tribal lands and property.
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| HAER MINN,31-DERIV.V,1--2 2. Downstream view of dam, looking northwest - Lake Winnibigoshish Reservoir Dam, Deer River, Itasca County, MN |
Not everyone was as enthusiastic about the addition of the dam on the Mississippi. The Ojibwe band that lived in the area was greatly affected and in a detrimental way. The dam was constructed on Ojibwe land without consent from the tribe which wedged the first ax between the Natives and the Corps. When the dam was completed, the water level of Lake Winnibigoshish rose 14 feet, which subsequently caused the village, gardens, and traditional burial grounds to be flooded and destroyed. The Corps estimated that around 23,240 acres of Ojibwe land was flooded. The rise in water level also deepened the shallow fishing grounds that the band relied on for net fishing. This hurt the tribe’s food supply greatly as the netted fish supplied a significant portion of the food supply. Hay that grew along the lake shore was lost, along with many cranberry marshes, and some maple trees. In 1889, the Rice Commission determined that the band’s wild rice marshes were also severely damaged.According to the Ojibwe, the high water had completely washed away the bones of their ancestors. This greatly upset the Ojibwe not only because part of their heritage was gone, but also because the government promised to move the cemetery and gardens to higher ground, but never did. Sho-kah-ge-shig, a spokesperson for the Winnibigoshish Ojibwe at the time, described the devastation:“There are no persons who have been so badly damaged. Look around here. It is not fire that makes it look so barren around the lake. It is the effect of the water caused by the overflow.”The federal government offered to pay the Ojibwe for damages as well as future damage that would be caused due to prospect of more dams being built. This came with a price tag of $15,466.90, but the Ojibwe rejected it. Negotiations kept going on until the Ojibwe saw no alternative but to relocate to the White Earth Reservation in western Minnesota. As part of the agreement reached during negotiations, the proceeds from land sales and improvements went to the reservation.
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| Headwaters History Booklet via USACE "Lake Winnibigoshish Dam during construction, 1899" |
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