Oldest Dams in Michigan

Michigan has 961 dams with recorded construction dates. The oldest dates to 1826 — 200 years ago. Michigan's earliest dams were built in the 19th century, an era of westward expansion, irrigation development, and early water infrastructure. Older dams require particular attention for safety, as many were built before modern engineering standards.

#	Dam	County	Year Built	Age	Height (ft)	Hazard	Condition
1	Lagrange Lake Dam	Cass	1826	200 yrs	15	Significant	Not assessed
2	Lake Orion Dam	Oakland	1829	197 yrs	18	Significant	Satisfactory
3	Blackhawk Dam	Branch	1830	196 yrs	18	Low	Poor
4	Concord Dam	Jackson	1830	196 yrs	12	Low	Not assessed
5	Nichwagh Lake Dam	Livingston	1830	196 yrs	16	High	Satisfactory
6	Fawn River Mill Dam	St. Joseph	1830	196 yrs	14	Low	Not assessed
7	Fawn River Power Company Dam	St. Joseph	1830	196 yrs	22	Low	Not assessed
8	Dayton Lake Dam	Berrien	1833	193 yrs	18	Significant	Satisfactory
9	Rice Creek Dam	Calhoun	1835	191 yrs	12	Low	Not assessed
10	Centenial Mill Dam	Cass	1835	191 yrs	17	Low	Not assessed
11	Atlas Dam	Genesee	1835	191 yrs	22	Significant	Fair
12	Davisburg Dam	Oakland	1835	191 yrs	17	Low	Satisfactory
13	A H Randall Milling Dam	Calhoun	1836	190 yrs	7	Low	Unsatisfactory
14	Kings Mill Dam	St. Joseph	1836	190 yrs	14	Low	Fair
15	Hillsdale Millpond Dam	Hillsdale	1837	189 yrs	14	Significant	Fair
16	Howlandsburg Dam	Kalamazoo	1837	189 yrs	16	Significant	Fair
17	Addison Mill Pond Dam	Lenawee	1837	189 yrs	25	High	Fair
18	Iron Lake Dam	Washtenaw	1837	189 yrs	12	Low	Satisfactory
19	Randall Dam	Branch	1838	188 yrs	15	Undetermined	Not assessed
20	Norvell Dam	Jackson	1839	187 yrs	13	Low	Satisfactory
21	Lamberson Dam	St. Joseph	1839	187 yrs	16	Significant	Satisfactory
22	Streater Mill Dam	Cass	1840	186 yrs	14	Low	Not assessed
23	Lower Mill Dam	Cass	1840	186 yrs	17	Significant	Satisfactory
24	Elsie Dam	Clinton	1840	186 yrs	13	Low	Unsatisfactory
25	Weippert Dam	Ionia	1840	186 yrs	9	Low	Not assessed
26	MUD Lake Dam	Jackson	1840	186 yrs	9	Low	Fair
27	Fox and Bears Dam	Kalamazoo	1840	186 yrs	12	Low	Not assessed
28	Squier Dam	Lapeer	1840	186 yrs	20	Low	Not assessed
29	Pettysville Mill Dam	Livingston	1840	186 yrs	21	Significant	Fair
30	Holly Dam	Oakland	1840	186 yrs	12	Significant	Poor
31	Baker Dam	Washtenaw	1840	186 yrs	16	Low	Not assessed
32	Corunna Dam	Shiawassee	1843	183 yrs	15	Significant	Unsatisfactory
33	Browns Pond Dam	Muskegon	1844	182 yrs	16	Significant	Poor
34	Upjohn Dam	Kalamazoo	1845	181 yrs	9	Low	Not assessed
35	Litchfield Dam	Hillsdale	1846	180 yrs	8	Low	Not assessed
36	Morrison West Chain Lake Level Control Structure	Branch	1847	179 yrs	14	Low	Satisfactory
37	Byron Dam	Shiawassee	1847	179 yrs	15	Low	Fair
38	Liberty Dam	Jackson	1848	178 yrs	11	Significant	Unsatisfactory
39	Putney Dam	Jackson	1848	178 yrs	9	Low	Poor
40	Frankenmuth Dam	Saginaw	1848	178 yrs	23	Low	Fair
41	Watervliet Dam	Berrien	1849	177 yrs	11	Undetermined	Not assessed
42	Horton Dam	Jackson	1850	176 yrs	6	Significant	Fair
43	Lower Comstock Dam	Kalamazoo	1850	176 yrs	18	High	Not assessed
44	Sunset Lake Dam	Kalamazoo	1850	176 yrs	11	High	Satisfactory
45	Oak Grove Millpond Dam	Livingston	1850	176 yrs	20	Significant	Not assessed
46	Bissell Pond Dam	Grand Traverse	1852	174 yrs	16	Significant	Satisfactory
47	Fowle Mill Dam	Hillsdale	1852	174 yrs	9	Low	Not assessed
48	Bellevue Mill Dam	Eaton	1854	172 yrs	14	Low	Satisfactory
49	Plainwell Dam Number 2	Allegan	1856	170 yrs	14	Low	Not assessed
50	Albion Dam	Calhoun	1856	170 yrs	11	Significant	Poor

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