Page 5 - QuakerMillDam

Quaker Mill, dam, and bridge circa 1900–1910 (Robert Ungs).

Introduction

The Maquoketa River in northeast Iowa has long been one earliest dam was a wooden struc-
of state’s premier rivers, both for the water power that sup- ture built in 1852 to supply power
ported its many industries and for its scenic beauty and rec- to a saw mill and later to a flour
reational opportunities. The river’s water power was a major mill. After a series of wooden dams
attraction for early settlers. Dams were constructed at many were built in this location, only to
points along the river from the 1840s through the 1930s. be destroyed by floods, a more permanent concrete dam
The first dams powered grist mills and saw mills. In the late was constructed in 1914. In 1922, the Iowa Electric Com-
nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, old mill dams were pany acquired the mill site, modified the dam, and built a
replaced by, or converted to, hydroelectric dams to generate hydroelectric plant to generate electricity. During the mid-
electrical power. Finally, particularly during the 1930s, some twentieth century, hydroelectric power became increasingly
new dams were constructed for strictly recreational purpos- expensive to generate relative to other forms of power, lead-
es, creating ponds for swimming, boating, fishing, and other ing the electric company to stop production at the Quaker
outdoor activities. Mill plant in 1967. During its useful life, and for some years
afterwards, the dam and its associated mill pond served as
In recent decades, it has become clear that dams are det- a popular recreation spot for people in the Manchester area.
rimental to the health of rivers, creating problems that out- Finally, in 2017 the deteriorating structure was demolished
weigh their benefits. Dams produce turbulent water that is to restore the free flow of the river, benefiting the environ-
hazardous to swimmers and boaters; they allow silt to col- ment and creating new recreational opportunities.
lect in mill ponds and reservoirs, worsening upstream flood-
ing; and they hinder the passage of fish from one part of the Before it was demolished, the Quaker Mill Dam was determined
river to another. In many instances, when they have outlived to be eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic
their industrial uses, these structures may be left to deterio- Places. It was significant for displaying three unusual engi-
rate, raising the possibility of dangerous catastrophic fail- neering features in a single dam. First, it was hollow, allowing
ures and increasing the risk of flooding. Restoring the free an operator to walk inside the dam from the powerhouse at
flow of the river ameliorates these problems and restores the east end to the floodgate on the west end. Second, the
wetlands critical for good water quality and natural habitats. hoist of its single floodgate, a type of curved floodgate known
as a Tainter gate, was hand-operated rather than motorized.
Before its demolition in 2017, the Quaker Mill Dam was lo- Finally, it had a monumental concrete fishway designed to ac-
cated along the Maquoketa River northwest of Manchester in commodate the movement of fish across the dam. Each of
Delaware County. This was the site of a succession of dams these features was uncommon on dams built in Iowa; to find
built during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. The all three on a single structure was truly remarkable.

The Prettiest Dam on the Maquoketa River—The Quaker Mill Dam at Manchester, Iowa 3