Ladysmith news-budget. [volume] (Ladysmith, Rusk County, Wis.) 1907-1927, 1915-07-23


afterwards sold to the Stanley Manu-
| featuring Company. The mill is not
| now used The dam has gone out, but
| the site remains, as one Of the prettR
est little powers left. The river runs
| through a chasm Of rock forty feet
wide and having a fall available Of
| twenty-six feet, and it is quite as cap
able of being harnessed again as It
was IN the early days.
Six miles further up O'Neil creek is
grist mill, built by L. c. Stanley In
1871. Despite the fact that Al years
| have passed since it's construction the
mill is still standing and Is used more
Or less. Up O'Neil creek, on the west
branch seven miles above its mouth,
the Durch grist and sawmill is operat-
ed by power which was put in at
least forty years ago.
Following the main river again
above the mouth Of O'Neil creek, a
!! traverse of eight miles, takes one. to
inns Falls. The falls we're named
after James Armentinger. Here, about
1860, Adm Randall, whose name Is
lnseparably connected with the devel-
Dpment of the Chippewa Valley, built
3 saw mill which he sold to French &
Eiddings, pioneer lumber operators in
that territory.
At the head of Jim's Falls is the
concrete dam constructed by the paper
and pulp interests connected with the
Dells Paper Co., of Eau Claire. The
having been made to take the power
off it. Ten miles further up stream is
the Cornell dam, the location Of a
paper mill of tremendous size and
utilizing fall of fifty feet. This dam
was built only four years ago and is
an original development not having
been based upon either the rights or
the existence of any earlier dam erect
ed for flooding or reservoir purposes.
Up stream still further from Cornell
Is Fisher River. There are no dams
In existence on that stream today, but
In the numbering days it had a number
Of such constructions for flooding and
rafting purposes. At HOlcomb, on the
main river, there is a dam at Little
Falls, which was built about 1880 for
flooding and storage purposes. While
the structure itself is now in existence
It is not used for any industrial pur-
poses.
The Jump River flows into the Chip
Dewa three miles above HOlcomb.
There are no dams now used upon it
for power, although there were several
constructed for flooding purposes. One
magnificent power site on the Jump
shows a possibility Of over 100 feet Of
fall.
Following the west fork of the Chip
pewa from it's junction to the Flam-
beau, its tributary, the Brunett, has
nothing in contact today, but has had
In the past a number Of dams con-
structed for flooding purposes. The
Thornapple River had a number Of
powers built for flooding. One of these
dam sites was made celebrated by
John Dietz, whose defense of what he
considered to be his rights, led to the
commission of murder on his part
and his sentence to the penitentiary.
The dam concerning which Dietz made
his ruction was built in 1874 by Bar
rett e Levitt, was timber dam, and
was built for flooding purposes. After
the timber surrounding It's site had
been cut off, the land was cleared and
sold for agricultural purposes, except
The dam reserve. DietZ bought some
Of this land and claimed that he had
the right to the dam site. He obstruct-
ed the company from flooding and
while defending his claim with gun !
killed an officer. Then followed his |
conviction and sentence.
The next power above the Dietz dam
Is at the Couterie, which was generally |
called by the Indians, "Billelle's" Falls. |
Above the mouth of the Couterie River |
3 stone and concrete dam was put in,
about 1909, by some developing inter-
ests, but litigation led to the discon-
tinuance of further work