Redridge Steel Dam
Encyclopedia
The Redridge Steel Dam is a steel dam
across the Salmon Trout River
in Redridge, Houghton County, Michigan
. Completed in 1901, it is a flat slab buttress dam constructed of steel
, a relatively rare material for construction of dams, which are typically earthenworks or masonry
. Most sources indicate it was one of only three such dams constructed in the United States
, the other two being the Ashfork-Bainbridge Steel Dam
(1898, Arizona) and the Hauser Lake Dam (1901, Montana), the last of which failed within a year of construction.
which extracted copper
from ore-bearing rock. With the growth of the Atlantic stamp mill
and the construction of the Baltic Mining Company mill
nearby, this reservoir proved to be insufficient, and in 1901 the steel dam was built. It was designed by J. F. Jackson and built by the Wisconsin Bridge and Iron Company
. The old timber crib dam remained in place, submerged, upstream of the steel dam. A system of spillway
s, sluices (or launders as they are referred to in contemporary texts), and pipes brought water downhill to the stamp mills. The dam itself measures 74 ft (23 m) high at its center and extends for a length of 1,006 ft (307 m) across the river. Access to the reservoir was shared by the Atlantic and Baltic mines, which had a common board of directors.
The dam operated for several decades, until the mines closed. After that time, the dam was no longer maintained. On Easter morning of 1941, the spillway behind the dam broke, causing a flood. There was little damage to the steel part of the dam, but with the mining operations stopped, the dam owners had the spillway valves opened. However there were still incidents of overtopping, and the Copper Range Company
(successor to Atlantic Mine Company and owner of the dam) had large holes cut in it in 1979 so that it would not retain water. This lowered the level of the reservoir, revealing the earlier timber dam.
Ownership of the dam was transferred to Stanton Township in 1992. Fears that the timber dam might fail and Michigan's Department of Environmental Quality considering the dam a "significant hazard" forced the township to consider renovating the dam in 2001. Five options were proposed for a long-term fix for the dam. These options ranged from repairing the steel and wooden dams for $311,000 to restoring/ reconstructing the entire structure for over a million dollars. Stanton Township could not afford to do any of the proposed options, so another option was sought out. A short term fix was found to make the dam safer. The upper 13 feet of the wooden structure was removed in 2004 to bring the water level down and relieve some of the pressure. A more permanent repair is still needed. A recent study by a team of students from Michigan Technological University
determined that both dams are likely to remain safe for the foreseeable future.
s use relatively thin steel plates in contact with the water body, with a framework of steel behind them transmitting the load to the ground. The plates are slanted upwards in the direction of water flow, so that the weight of the water puts compressive forces on the girders holding the plates up. This transmits force to the ground without the bending moment that a vertical wall of plates would engender. It was believed at the time that these dams could be constructed faster and more cheaply than masonry dams..
students making pilgrimages to the site, especially those interested in industrial archaeology
.
Steel dam
A steel dam is a type of dam that is made of steel, rather than the more common masonry, earthworks, concrete or timber construction materials.Relatively few examples were ever built...
across the Salmon Trout River
Salmon Trout River
There are two streams named Salmon Trout River in the Upper Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan.-Marquette County:Salmon Trout River in the Huron Mountains of Marquette County is home to the endangered "coaster" brook trout. The river flows into Lake Superior several miles northwest of Big Bay...
in Redridge, Houghton County, Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
. Completed in 1901, it is a flat slab buttress dam constructed of steel
Steel
Steel is an alloy that consists mostly of iron and has a carbon content between 0.2% and 2.1% by weight, depending on the grade. Carbon is the most common alloying material for iron, but various other alloying elements are used, such as manganese, chromium, vanadium, and tungsten...
, a relatively rare material for construction of dams, which are typically earthenworks or masonry
Masonry
Masonry is the building of structures from individual units laid in and bound together by mortar; the term masonry can also refer to the units themselves. The common materials of masonry construction are brick, stone, marble, granite, travertine, limestone; concrete block, glass block, stucco, and...
. Most sources indicate it was one of only three such dams constructed in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, the other two being the Ashfork-Bainbridge Steel Dam
Ashfork-Bainbridge Steel Dam
The Ashfork Bainbridge Steel Dam, the first large steel dam in the world, and one of only three ever built in the United States, was constructed in 1898 by the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway to supply water for railway operations near Ash Fork, Arizona. It is named for the town of Ash Fork,...
(1898, Arizona) and the Hauser Lake Dam (1901, Montana), the last of which failed within a year of construction.
History
In 1894, prior to the construction of the steel dam, the Atlantic Mining Company built a timber crib dam across the Salmon Trout River. The dam created a reservoir which supplied water to the Atlantic stamp millStamp mill
A stamp mill is a type of mill machine that crushes material by pounding rather than grinding, either for further processing or for extraction of metallic ores. Breaking material down is a type of unit operation....
which extracted copper
Copper
Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu and atomic number 29. It is a ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. Pure copper is soft and malleable; an exposed surface has a reddish-orange tarnish...
from ore-bearing rock. With the growth of the Atlantic stamp mill
Atlantic Mill
The Atlantic Mill was located on the east side of Redridge, Michigan near the Redridge Steel Dam. It was constructed in 1892 and closed in 1912. It was connected to the Atlantic mine via a 9 mile long Atlantic and Lake Superior Railroard. The previous path of the railroad is now a scenic...
and the construction of the Baltic Mining Company mill
Baltic mill
The Baltic Mill was a copper stamping mill near Redridge, Michigan. The Atlantic mill was located at a nearby location....
nearby, this reservoir proved to be insufficient, and in 1901 the steel dam was built. It was designed by J. F. Jackson and built by the Wisconsin Bridge and Iron Company
Wisconsin Bridge and Iron Company
The Wisconsin Bridge and Iron Company is, or was, a fabricator and erector of iron and steel bridges and other large structures. Information is difficult to find, but according to one source it was founded in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in 1888. The Riemer family of Elm Grove, Wisconsin was heavily...
. The old timber crib dam remained in place, submerged, upstream of the steel dam. A system of spillway
Spillway
A spillway is a structure used to provide the controlled release of flows from a dam or levee into a downstream area, typically being the river that was dammed. In the UK they may be known as overflow channels. Spillways release floods so that the water does not overtop and damage or even destroy...
s, sluices (or launders as they are referred to in contemporary texts), and pipes brought water downhill to the stamp mills. The dam itself measures 74 ft (23 m) high at its center and extends for a length of 1,006 ft (307 m) across the river. Access to the reservoir was shared by the Atlantic and Baltic mines, which had a common board of directors.
The dam operated for several decades, until the mines closed. After that time, the dam was no longer maintained. On Easter morning of 1941, the spillway behind the dam broke, causing a flood. There was little damage to the steel part of the dam, but with the mining operations stopped, the dam owners had the spillway valves opened. However there were still incidents of overtopping, and the Copper Range Company
Copper Range Company
The Copper Range Company was a major copper-mining company in the Copper Country of Michigan, United States. It began as the Copper Range Company in the late 19th century as a holding company specializing in shares in the copper mines south of Houghton, Michigan...
(successor to Atlantic Mine Company and owner of the dam) had large holes cut in it in 1979 so that it would not retain water. This lowered the level of the reservoir, revealing the earlier timber dam.
Ownership of the dam was transferred to Stanton Township in 1992. Fears that the timber dam might fail and Michigan's Department of Environmental Quality considering the dam a "significant hazard" forced the township to consider renovating the dam in 2001. Five options were proposed for a long-term fix for the dam. These options ranged from repairing the steel and wooden dams for $311,000 to restoring/ reconstructing the entire structure for over a million dollars. Stanton Township could not afford to do any of the proposed options, so another option was sought out. A short term fix was found to make the dam safer. The upper 13 feet of the wooden structure was removed in 2004 to bring the water level down and relieve some of the pressure. A more permanent repair is still needed. A recent study by a team of students from Michigan Technological University
Michigan Technological University
Michigan Technological University is a public research university located in Houghton, Michigan, United States. Its main campus sits on on a bluff overlooking Portage Lake...
determined that both dams are likely to remain safe for the foreseeable future.
Construction information
Steel damSteel dam
A steel dam is a type of dam that is made of steel, rather than the more common masonry, earthworks, concrete or timber construction materials.Relatively few examples were ever built...
s use relatively thin steel plates in contact with the water body, with a framework of steel behind them transmitting the load to the ground. The plates are slanted upwards in the direction of water flow, so that the weight of the water puts compressive forces on the girders holding the plates up. This transmits force to the ground without the bending moment that a vertical wall of plates would engender. It was believed at the time that these dams could be constructed faster and more cheaply than masonry dams..
Geography and site information
Redridge is in Houghton County, one of the more rugged counties in Michigan, and access to the dam site is relatively challenging, although there is a history of Michigan Technological UniversityMichigan Technological University
Michigan Technological University is a public research university located in Houghton, Michigan, United States. Its main campus sits on on a bluff overlooking Portage Lake...
students making pilgrimages to the site, especially those interested in industrial archaeology
Industrial archaeology
Industrial archaeology, like other branches of archaeology, is the study of material culture from the past, but with a focus on industry. Strictly speaking, industrial archaeology includes sites from the earliest times to the most recent...
.
Historic designations
- National Register of Historic PlacesNational Register of Historic PlacesThe National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
, listed April 2, 1992 - Michigan Historic Civil Engineering Landmark, designated in 1985
External links
- Redridge site map, the steel dam is marked "new dam".
- Historic American Engineering Record entry
- Historical American Engineering Record picture
- A Brief History of Steel Dams by Hubert Chanson
- Redridge page at Copper range historical society site.
- Industrial Heritage of Redridge Michigan by Robert Goniea
- Downstream side image from the MTUMichigan Technological UniversityMichigan Technological University is a public research university located in Houghton, Michigan, United States. Its main campus sits on on a bluff overlooking Portage Lake...
site, Copper Country Cruising subsite maintained by Dean Woodbeck - Dam Ruins An exploration of the Redridge Dams as they appear today
Further reading
- Jackson, Donald C. Great American Bridges and Dams, John Wiley & Sons, New York (USA), ISBN 0-471-14385-5, 1984; pp. 210-211.
- Irrigation and Water Power Engineering a book found via Google books (one of few sources to mention steel dams) says there are 3 extant in the US and gives some info.
- Copper Country Trail appendix listing historic Copper CountryCopper CountryThe Copper Country is an area in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan in the United States, including all of Keweenaw County, Michigan and most of Houghton, Baraga and Ontonagon counties. The area is so named as copper mining was prevalent there from 1845 until the late 1960s, with one mine ...
places