According to the Grand Rapids City Archives and Records Center, from 1849 to 1926 there have been four dams identified in the historical records. From 1926 to the present there have been 5, possibly 6 dams identified in the historical materials. All of the dams were built in some way to harness the power of the Grand River to power bustling factories or to help facilitate the river for logging. The Fourth Street dam, more affectionately known today as the Sixth Street Dam, may have been built in two parts with the completion of the east side concrete construction in 1926. No significant work has been done to this dam since that time.
The four low-head “beautification dams” were constructed in the mid 1920 as part of a plan to improve the river through a series of beautification dams. In 1925, one city planning department plan gave some recommendations on the Grand River. “The appearance of the river below the [Fourth Street} dam should be improved,” the author wrote. “Several low-stage dams could be constructed at intervals which would maintain water constantly in the water. This would add greatly to the appearance and provide ample water surface for boating.”