Who can identify this structure? Anyone? If you are having trouble identifying this Northern California dam it’s for good reason. It’s deep in the cuts of the Sierra Nevada foothills. I am just curious how many Northern Californians know of its existence? If I had to guess I would say very few people have any idea of its existence, purpose, or history. Do you need some clues? CLUE- The construction of this dam was completed in 1908. At the time of its completion it was a big part of the largest hydropower plant in this country. Now owned by Pacific Gas and Electric Company. I’m going to guess these clues didn’t help most people a whole lot either? I’m not so sure any amount of clues will help. As this dam is far from reach, and way off the beaten path. Residing in a remote region of Butte County, California’s gold country. A local to this area, a history buff, or possibly some PG&E employees are about the only folks that may recognize this old dam. To be fair this dam hasn’t been operational for a very long time. It was originally constructed in efforts to dry up a section of Northern California’s Feather River by a mining company around the turn of the twentieth century. By blasting a tunnel through a near by mountain (Big Bend Mountain or “Yankee Hill”) the mining company intended to divert the North Fork Feather River through this tunnel. Reconnecting the river several miles down stream. Leaving the riverbed downstream of this dam site dry of water and ready to mine. Unfortunately for the mining company things don’t always work out as planned. The river cobble was much larger and unmanageable then originally thought. Nearly impossible to mine. Causing the mining company to go under. Eventually the Big Bend mining project would end up in the hands of Great Western Power Company. Who had the insight into California’s growing demand for power. Utilizing the existing dam and tunnel system built by the mining company, pen stocks and turbines were built in addition and Western Power Company started generating electricity. Power generated by western power company was initially sold to PG&E for distribution in the more populated areas of Northern California at the time. Allowing the life changing benefits of electricity to spread into quickly growing California.

My reason for writing this blog is not for a local history lesson, nor to complain about water distribution to Southern California. Rather an observation I have made concerning this old out of service dam (pictured above). This observation brings into question a few conservation objectives that were overlooked or simply ignored when constructing Lake Oroville in the mid 1960’s. However the foresight by mining companies at the turn of the twentieth century and Western Power Company thereafter, were able to recognize and respect the permanent damage that would occur to the Spring Run Chinook Salmon and the Fall Run Chinook Salmon of the North Fork Feather River. If there was no way for them to migrate up river and spawn annually. Following the completion of the construction of the Big Bend dam. As you will see on the far side of the dam photograph above, although fairly primitive looking in its construction, you can make out the “fish latter”. Built along side the dam allowing migrating runs of chinook salmon passage to up river spawning areas. There was no hatchery needed to mitigate for loss of habitat, as salmon could still access their natal spawning grounds up river. This worked extremely well without major disruption or permanent damage to the feather river salmon for nearly sixty years. Along came the construction of Oroville Dam in the 1960’s. Creating what would be California’s second largest reservoir. As well as the second largest contributor to the death of California’s salmon runs. When in retrospect building a fish latter around Oroville Dam would have been a very simple addition to the construction process. Ensuring chinook salmon existence in the future. This would not have been some monumental undertaking. In fact miners on the adjacent Cherokee Mountain had constructed a fourteen mile long sluice box with enough running water for salmon to use nearly one hundred years prior to the construction of Oroville Dam. With modern equipment being used to build Oroville Dam in the 1960’s this project would have been a piece of cake. Obviously this never happened and wild chinook salmon of the Feather River have been on the chopping block ever since. I can’t help but think if these decision makers were alive today, sitting at the dinner table of a fancy restaurant eating parasitically infected, artificially colored, diseased farm raised salmon. Would they reconsider the importance of wildlife conservation in the future? Something so easily obtained.

Again I’d like to reiterate this blog isn’t about placing blame on those who decided decades ago that salmon or wildlife in general weren’t worth saving. It is more about awareness of the damages our decision making in the past caused to the environment and natural order and balance of all living things. I feel like it’s never too late to change, and my hopes are for citizen state wide to realize this simple fact. Everyone in today’s time has to by now realize you can’t take, take, take, without putting something back. The ripple effect of these ideologies have proven this to be true over and over again. At some point making a stand for what is right as apposed to what makes more money for those who already have to much money, must take place. Or we will continue to rob Peter and pay Paul with whats left of our states wildlife. We all know where this leads. Hormones, vaccines, parasites, pesticides, fertilizers, artificial flavoring and coloring, genetically altered animals and crops, all for our immediate consumption, and the consumption of our children. While the fallout of our environmental destruction takes a totally separate toll on our current society, and even worse for future societies as a whole. If the insight and foreknowledge of conservation measures was seen by the builders of the first Feather River dam nearly one hundred fifteen years ago, then completely ignored for the next sixty years. Can we learn from our mistakes and make conservation a goal in the sixty years we have in front of us? Certainly wouldn’t be a bad idea!

Mike's Fishing Guide Service for Sacramento River fishing targeting King Salmon, Striped Bass, White Sturgeon, American Shad and Rainbow Trout. The Best Sacramento River Salmon Fishing Guide and Striped Bass Fishing Guide on the Sacramento River.