Holcombe Flowage facts for kids
- for the town, see Lake Holcombe, Wisconsin
The Holcombe Flowage is a large lake in Wisconsin. It was created by a dam on the Chippewa River. This beautiful area is located mostly in Chippewa County, with a small part reaching into Rusk County. It sits between the towns of Birch Creek and Lake Holcombe.
What is Holcombe Flowage?
A "flowage" is another name for a reservoir or an artificial lake. The Holcombe Flowage is a very popular place for people to visit. Many homes and cottages are built along its shores. It covers about 2,881 acres, which is like 2,881 football fields! The lake is usually about 12 feet deep. However, in some spots, it can be as deep as 61 feet.
The Holcombe Dam
The Holcombe Dam is a special building that helps create the Holcombe Flowage. It uses the power of moving water to make electricity. This type of electricity is called hydro-electric power. The dam was built in 1950. It is owned and operated by a company called Xcel Energy. The Holcombe Dam produces about 34 megawatts of power. It is one of six dams Xcel Energy uses on the Chippewa River.
A Look Back in Time
The Holcombe Flowage was first created a long time ago, in 1878. This was done by building the Little Falls Dam. That first dam was built to help move logs down the river. Logs were floated downstream to sawmills. This was a very important way to transport wood back then.
However, building and maintaining dams was tough work. Parts of the first dam were washed away by big floods in 1880 and 1884. Logging was also a dangerous job. There were serious accidents near the dam. The first dam was used until 1910, when logging operations stopped. It completely washed away in the 1920s. The current, stronger Holcombe Dam was then built in 1950.
45°13′29″N 91°07′41″W / 45.22472°N 91.12806°W
