Audio
Kettle Falls Part II (Dam)
Transcript
Welcome to the Kettle Falls Hotel and Dam Podcast. The Kettle Falls area is one of 15 visitor Destinations within Voyageurs National Park.
As you approach the beach, below the hotel, imagine the hustle and bustle of the activities going on. If you were here between the 1700s to mid 1830s there could be voyageurs portaging their cargo. In the 1890s there could be gold prospectors and their equipment waiting to be transported to the mines on Rainy Lake. From 1913 to 1920 there could be boxes of fish waiting to be auctioned off by commercial fisherman, or even logs could be rumbling through the gates of the dams.
As you walk to the dam and observation deck, imagine what the falls looked like before the dams were constructed. The early voyageurs named the nine foot drop Chaudière Falls (Chaudière is a French word meaning boiling kettle).
The voyageurs would not shoot the rapids for fear of losing their cargo, but would carry their 90 pound packs around the falls. In the spring, Ojibwe Indians would harvest sturgeon below the falls.
During the 1890s gold rush, there would be many people waiting to catch the steam-powered boat to Rainy Lake City.
As you look around the Kettle Falls Dam area, one can probably imagine quite a story as to why the dam was constructed. Opportunity!
In the early 1900s Edward W. Backus was a nationally renowned lumber magnate and industrialist with a vast empire of lumber mills, railroads, power plants, and woodlands.
In order to develop his timber for harvesting, he needed power for its operation. Between 1905 and 1908 he completed the dam in International Falls. Once completed Backus immediately built a paper mill and sawmill which was powered by the International Falls dam.
His plans for hydro-electric development in the Rainy Lake watershed called for a series of power and storage dams stretching eastward from Lac La Croix.
These dams, he contended would increase and stabilize power generation at the International Falls Dam and also prevent flooding. In 1910 he received approval for development of the Kettle Falls dam which would provide additional water reserves in the winter months for his International Falls dam. The construction of the dam started in 1910 with a wooden coffer dam just upstream from the current dam.
The dam was a four year project which employed 150 laborers. The original dams were constructed from stone and mortar and in 1965 the dams were rebuilt with concrete pillars. An additional dam was also built about a one-half mile south called Squirrel Falls.
Building of these dams drew strong opposition from conservation groups and private citizens of both the U.S. and Canada. The proposed dams, they argued, would spoil priceless scenery and constitute serious misuse of natural resources that belonged to the public. Ernest Oberholtzer, Rainy Lake resident and dedicated conservationist, agreed to lead the campaign to stop dam building.
With public opinion strongly in their favor, the opponents finally won a clear-cut victory prohibiting further development of dams in this area. However, lumbering continued to be an economic opportunity and booms continued to be sluiced through Kettle Falls Dam every summer until 1940.
Today, the Kettle Falls dam is owned and operated by Boise Cascade Corporation. They release water to power the electric turbines in International Falls under a set of water level rules established by the International Joint Commission.
The International Joint Commission was established in 1909 by the Boundary Waters Treaty. It is composed of six members, 3 appointed by the President of the United States and 3 appointed by the Canadian government. The International Joint Commission, or IJC, was established to mediate disputes that may arise over the use of water on the border between the United States and Canada.
This region is managed by the International Rainy Lake Board of Control. A board is established by the IJC to manage the Rainy Lake area. The International Rainy Lake Board of Control establishes rule curves for the water levels on Rainy Lake and the Namakan Basin. On June 8, 1949 the board established the first rule curves to allow for the maximum and minimum water levels these lakes could be at, except during emergency conditions.
The trouble with this rule curve was that it did not mimic the natural flow of the lakes. The water level spiked at very high levels in the spring, then had a large drawdown in the fall. This negatively impacted the natural systems in the park. Wild rice was almost completely wiped out of the area because of the high water levels. Loons were not able to effectively raise chicks because their nests would be inundated with water early in the season, then left high and dry later in the season. Beavers had trouble in the winter because the water would be drawn down so much that their lodges were left dry, with no water to protect the opening or act as an insulator to the frigid winter temperatures.
In 2000 the IJC, through the Rainy Lake Board of Control, realized that they needed to find a way to balance human needs with the needs of nature. They created a new rule curve that mimics the natural rise and fall of water levels on these lakes. Research was done and is currently being conducted on seven plants and animal species to determine if the new rule curve is having positive effects on the natural ecosystem in the park and surrounding area. Some of the species being studied include loons, beavers, macro invertebrates, and wild rice. The research and the analysis of the data will conclude and be reviewed in 2015 to determine if the IJC will keep the current rule curve, or create a new curve for the water levels.
These rule curves bring us to another crossroad, both here at Voyageurs National Park, and in society at large. The historic rule curve was created solely for human use and convenience. The current rule curve show peoples journey beyond using areas just for human use and instead finding a balance between human needs and the needs of nature. It is important to remember that we all find a balance between human needs and nature’s needs so that areas like this will be preserved for the enjoyment of future generations.
Description
The Kettle Falls Dam is located between Rainy and Namakan Lakes in Voyageurs National Park. Why was a dam constructed in this location and how is it used today? Listen to find out!
Duration
7 minutes, 7 seconds
Credit
NPS
Date Created
04/16/2010
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