Central (Wright) Dam (Fergus Falls, Minnesota)

USA / Minnesota / Fergus Falls / Fergus Falls, Minnesota
 place with historical importance, dam
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The Central Dam was built around 1871 by George B. Wright (Fergus Falls' founder). His son Vernon A. Wright inherited it in the early 1880s and got the idea of harnessing the Otter Tail River to generate electricity, leading to the creation of the Otter Tail Power Company and the construction of the Dayton Hollow Dam southwest of town. When the Fergus Falls municipal utility's dam failed in 1909, this one was badly damaged (and the water works dam upstream was wiped out). Vern Wright sold the dam to OTP which repaired it and incorporated it into their system. The dam was rebuilt into its current incarnation in 1922.
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Coordinates:   46°16'56"N   96°4'23"W
This article was last modified 11 years ago