(Almost) Frozen Little Falls Dam

I was driving past the Little Falls Dam a couple days ago and caught sight of the dramatic half-frozen flow of water out of the corner of my eye. I happened to have my camera in the car so decided to turn the car around and try to capture a few shots to share with blog readers.

This is actually the fourth dam to grace this general location in Little Falls, the original site of a waterfall that ran in two channels split by an island. The first dam was built in 1849 and stretched across only the eastern channel of the river, rather than the full width. The second dam, also across the eastern channel, was completed in 1858, but washed out the following year because it was built on top of sand. The third dam, constructed of wood, was built in 1887/88 and stretched the full width of the river. It remained in place until natural deterioration took its toll. The fourth dam, the one pictured above, was built between 1914 and 1921, with periodic improvements having been made since that time.