- In The Beginning:
It all started in 1842 when one of the first settlers, Moses Ordway with his son David, started building a dam on the river at Mudville (now Beaver Dam) at a location near the site of the present dam. The dam was completed in 1843 and water stated flowing over it in June of that year to provide power for a sawmill. Soon after, a flour mill was built which began operations in February 1844 and used power from the same dam.
A second dam was built in 1846 near the site of the present Kraft Foods Plant and was used for a second sawmill. The spring floods of 1849 washed out both of these dams. They were immediately rebuilt.
In 1891, when Beaver Dam celebrated its 50th anniversary, there were three dams. One was called the lower dam located one-mile south of the corner of Front and Center Streets. It provided power for the Beaver Dam Woolen Mill and was usually called the lower mill. Another was located just south of the Kraft Foods Company and provided power for The Woolen Manufacturing Company. The third was the "big dam" located at the site of the present dam and supplied power for The Cotton Mill, which occupied the building now called Beaver Dam Lake Loft Apartments. The present dam was built in 1913-14 and was used as a source of power until 1934.
- Located in NW Dodge County forming the western edge of the city of Beaver Dam 16th largest lake in Wisconsin 6,718 acres with 41 miles of shoreline and a depth of 7 feet.
Five city parks and one county park.
Six public recreational boat landings Over $16 million in property value.
Homes for over 800 lake families Productive fishing lake (open water and ice fishing) for walleye, northern pike, largemouth bass and pan fish
Excellent habitat for wildlife Great paddling, recreational boating, water skiing and other water sports.
Home of nationally recognized Beaverland Must-Skis water ski team.