The dam (1/10)

was finished in 1912 and is 167 feet high, and 550 feet long. The lake did not fill in the years to come. 

In 1916 the city hired “The Rainmaker” Charles Hatfield who offered to fill the lake by building towers and releasing chemicals into the air. 

By Jan. 10th flooding rains began and filled the lake at a rate of two feet an hour. It filled and spilled on Jan. 26th. The rest of the county experienced major flooding, washed out bridges, flooded towns and villages, killing 50 people. 

The city claimed that the rains were an “Act of God” and told Hatfield if he tried to collect the 10K he would have to pay for all the damages caused by the rain. 

He never collected the money.