The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1939-08-17

a. -. Dul ulCiSlGI, however,
the river basin to its aboriginal
lem of supplying the expanding
power needs of Redwood Falls.
Only dam of comparatively
! large proportions could retain q
body Of water high enough to be
of material aid in generating
power. Mr.. Burmeister's fellow
townsmen were prompt to Wis
ualize the advantages that a
lake would be to the city and
enthusiastically co-operated in
the project.
Only those who have been
residents of Redwood Falls for
nearly four decades can tell of
the appearance of the basin be-
fore the dam was constructed.
Completely submerged now are
the remains of an old log and
earthen dam that crossed the
river nearly a half mile above
the modern structure. The old
dam retained water that was di-
Vefted into a mill race which
supplied the power for the Delhi
Mill, a building that stood be-
low the present water level near
the bank opposite the present
swimming beach. The mill race
was spanned by a bridge, but
the main portion of the stream
below the dam was shallow
enough to be forded. Now flood
ed are the slopes where once
grew apples frequently swiped
by urchins of the day.
Long i'm Litigation
Fire destroyed the Delhi mill,
however and there remained no
structures that would be flooded
by the proposed dam. But many
acres of useful land would pe
eliminated by the new lake, and
committee of citizens assisted
Mr.. Burmeister in arranging for
the purchase of the necessary
Land. Preparations for flooded
territory as far as three miles
above the site of the dam had
to be made and the litigation
was long and tedious. One sem
sational development enlivened
the proceedings in the spring Of
1901, however, when a man by
the name of Pedigo was charged
with having been bribed by Mr.
Burmeister to keep the damages
asked by a land owner at a low
figure. Pedigo was serving or
the jury which considered the
complaint of the farmer who
demanded more for his proper
ty than the assessors had award
; ed Mr.. Burmeister was COM
pletely exonerated when it was
discovered that the accuser was
a notorious confidence man, who
had invented the story.
BY August 1901, final prepa-
rations were completed, and
actual work was begun on the
dam. The Gazette followed the
projects progress week by week
with a series of pictures record
ed the Transformation. The
committee that assisted Mr.. Bur
meister consisted of F. l.. War
ner, c. Fred Thompson, H. A.
Baldwin, 0. l.. Dornberg, and
j. A. Schmahl, and they posed
frequently for snapshots astride
the rising bulwark The towns
people watched the construction
with great interest and Frank
Clague was even driven by his
enthusiasm to pun horribly, I'll
will be a big pond by a dam
site"
Had Narrow Escape
Burmeister's popular venture
almost spelled tragedy for him
self, however, for he narrowly
escaped death during the early
stages of construction. A huge
rock crusher was necessary for
the operations and in the pro-
cess of removing the machine
from a fiat car the derrick
broke, plummeting the crusher
perilously near to the spot where
he was standing.
In the late fall the dam al
ready neared completion and
citizens began to contemplate
the grandeur that was to be
Lake Redwood. 'It will be great
er than Lake Como at st. Paul, I"
boosted 0. B. Turrell, land will
be large enough to make it a