The history of Little Falls Dam

LONG LAKE - Little Falls Dam is now overlooked due to the other larger dams in the area, but in its day Little Falls was a technical wonder. It boasted having the largest turbines in the world, matching the size of the Niagara Falls turbines.

It doubled the generating power of the Washington Water Power Company (WWP, now Avista). It was also the most remote of all WWP dams.

There was little advance publication of the construction of the dam. The WWP had gotten permission from U.S. Congress to dam the Spokane River, although it failed to get permission from the Spokane Tribe for the portions on their reservation or for the excavation of gravel and rock used from tribal lands during the construction.

The dam was built between 1907 and 1910. Every part of the dam (turbines, penstocks, generators, transformers, nuts, bolts, nails, wiring, etc.) was shipped to Reardan by rail and then carted by wagon to Little Falls.

This includes the 18 million pounds of cement. If each wagon could be loaded with 6,000 pounds of cement, it would require 3,000 loads.

WWP had a railroad siding in Reardan with its own bunk house, livery stable, blacksmith shop and warehouse to keep the cement dry until it could be delivered. This siding was on the northeast side of the present-day State Highway 231 rail crossing.

The unloading derrick is supported by cables strung high to allow wagons and trains to pass underneath. The center portion of the derrick can pivot from rail car to wagon.

The lifting power was provided by a steam powered donkey engine in the little building beside the derrick.

The dam had four generators and turbines weighing 750 tons apiece. The receiving wagons for the heavier parts were constructed of steel and pulled by steam engines to accommodate the excessive weight.

The construction brought a lot of business to Reardan. It had four hotels, four saloons, several restaurants, three livery stables, four blacksmith shops, two barber shops (one with baths) to accommodate workers, visitors and their working horses.

This was a bit before Reardan's peak, but its population was approaching 1,000.

There were two routes to Little Falls: through the rocky terrain of the Spring Creek Canyon, now State Highway 231, or face the dangerous twists and turns of the Crescent Grade (now closed).

Both were county roads at the time and may have had some gravel to extend their use in the spring and to smooth rocky ground.

Little Falls was over 20 miles from Spokane where its generated power generated was needed. WWP constructed a transmission tie line using steel towers rather than the traditional wooden poles, the first such use west of the Mississippi.

These towers look very primitive compared with most modern towers and look more like simple windmills. This is because the towers were supplied by a company that manufactured windmills. These towers have minimal arms to hold the power lines away from the tower itself.

They were only modified twice: Once after their first winter to make them stronger to withstand the weight of ice on the lines and again in 1993. The modular construction of the towers proved easy to modify.

The tie line still exists from Little Falls to north of Airway Heights.