It was at time, country's largest

This is how the Chippewa River appeared Nov. 13, 1915, when a coffer dam boom was laid for the Wissota Dam project. The dam was built at the left edge of the picture. The island is now flooded.

     When it was constructed it was the world's largest. The large concrete dam was built across the Chippewa River and named the Wissota Hydro Project.
     The Chippewa River had dug its bed down to granite rocks at a point 12 miles below Jim Falls and three miles below the confluence of the Yellow and Chippewa Rivers.
      The project was started in 1915 and completed in 1917. Generators were in operation the next year. It was a large project for its day and required construction of a small town with houses, dining hall, school and hospital to care for the 700 workers and their families.
     More than one million yards of fill were used as well as 2,700 tons of steel and 110,000 barrels of cement.
     The impoundment covers 6,300 acres with 56 miles of shoreline and a maximum depth of 72 feet.
     The area, flooded in 1917, was generally a little used forest and swamp wasteland. Some farms, however, were forced to move.

	This is the lake bottom during cnstruction of Wissota Dam, looking north of the bridge on CTH XX between the "big" and "little" lakes.
	Forms for penstocks and scroll cases for Wissota generators and water tunnels were hand made from wood. A crew of 700 men was involved at peak building periods on that project.
	Concrete is poured to an elevation of 841 feet around three draft tubes. Note the wood framing and support pieces. Construction crews then did not have large cranes to move materials. Backbreaking labor was used instead. Concrete was dumped from trestle at left into forms below.

The construction company built its own hospital, school, living quarters and dining hall at the site while building Wissota Dam from 1915 to 1917. Here a Dr. Allen poses in the hospital ward.	Shown is a general view of the Wissota Dam project during the fall of 1918. Forms were made of wood as steel forms had not yet been developed for modern construction. Tons of wood and more than 110,000 barrels of cement were used. At the time it was one of the largest projects of its kind.

While the Wissota Dam was being built transmission line cres were also building lines to carry current. The camp location was moved every two weeks.

When gates were closed water started to rise and debris floated against the dam. Logs, grass and stumps lifted upward by rising water had to be removed to keep it from jamming gates. It was a far cry from the lake surface of today, used by thousands for recreational purposes.

Extracted from the Eau Claire Leader Telegram
Special Publication, Our Story 'The Chippewa Valley and Beyond', published 1976
Used with permission.