Who put the dam in Dam Lake?

One look at the dam in our lake tells you that it was built there, it is not natural. Where did it come from?

It is not unusual on our properties to see a mineral called mica. Years ago it was a valuable mineral and was mined in this area. The major mining company circa 1930 was the Blackburn Mining Company. The road named Chemin Blackburn is so named as the road used to lead to the Blackburn's mine site.

As their operations enlarged they wanted to improve their methods of extracting the mica. This was long before hydroelectricity was available anywhere near our lake or their mine site. In addition, they also wanted to build on-site living quarters for some of their employees.

At the time there was a narrow creek running between Grand Lake and our lake. One of our members recalled this creek being narrow enough to jump across it. The big underwater rock at the entrance to our lake that is marked by a float was actually about five feet out of the water and her brother sat on it to fish.

Geographically, our chain of lakes is connected by a waterway/river called the Blanche River that ends up emptying into the Ottawa River. Hwy 366 crosses it three times near McGregor Lake and Perkins. This river runs from our lake to McGregor.

The Blackburn Company dammed the river where it empties into McGregor. The dam can be seen from Hwy 366 and with it they created a small lake that we now know as Lac Brassard. Initially it was known as Lower Dam Lake. Incorporated in this dam was a hydro generating turbine to provide power to their mine operations and their employees' homes.

The amount of water backed up by that dam was not sufficient to provide a constant supply to run the turbine. So, they also built a second dam where the Blanche leaves our lake. It raised the level by about eight feet. The dam had movable logs so that they could release water as required to keep Lower Dam's levels as needed. There were no cottages on our lake or on Lower Dam.

So now you know 'who' put the dam in Dam Lake.

Because of the dam we can boat into Grand Lake.

There is one island in the lake that was attached to the mainland before the lake was raised.

In the 50s and early 60s mica was diminished and the Blackburn company closed their operations. The attention required, and the maintenance of our dam was lost with no one responsible. The President of our lake association, Leo Sancartier and others went to Quebec City to ask the Province for help as expensive repairs were needed and the municipality (Perkins at that time) refused to accept responsibility. They convinced the province to pay for the repairs and the province ordered the municipality to accept responsibility for the dam from then on.

An interesting aside is that many of us knew Oakley Cary. His father was the mine manager and Oakley lived at the mine site at one time. His daughter followed her father as councillor in our municipality now called Val-des-Monts.

Another note is that the Blackburn Building on the Sparks Street mall in Ottawa was the corporate headquarters of the company. Another note is that their mica processing plant was at the corner of Crichton Street and Dufferin Road in Ottawa, currently the site of a housing complex called the Mews (in New Edinburgh).

The next time you look at the lake try to imagine it eight feet shallower!!

Resources:

Dam Lake History - Association newsletter article 2011.pdf

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