Dam Close to Old Road

Source: Nemaha County Courier Tribune

Seneca, KS

October 29, 1934

State engineers have set the center stakes for the dam which is to form Lake Nemaha and carry Highway 63 on a new route, bending southeast instead of southwest. The dam will be located very close to the present route of 63. Beginning at a point near the old Kampler store building a narrow, angling strip of ground will be acquired from the Tangeman estate. This is necessary because the base of the dam will be 140 feet wide or wider. It will then cross the present highway and angle slightly toward the southeast. The spillway, it was said, would be located near the north slope. This will make it necessary to cut a new drainage channel due west to join the present channel. Julius Tangeman expressed a desire to cooperate with the county, forestry service and fish and game department to the end that bottomland south of the proposed new channel can be reclaimed and farmed.

The state highway department is acquiring land for the new route of the road south of the dam. This action, together with Mr. Tangeman's consent for operations along the road indicate that work on the dam will start just as soon as excavating equipment is obtained. Forestry men said the government furnishes everything needed in the way of power and equipment with the exception of a dragline. This is just the machine needed here to scoop out the puddle trench. As it stands, excavator grades, mules and fresnos and lastly, hand labor probably will be used to dig the big ditch. The puddle trench will be 12 feet wide at least. Its depth will depend upon the footing. Supt. Pennartz fears he will encounter gravel below. In that case sheet piling will be driven into the bottom of the trench to form a barrier to seepage. Lumber for this purpose will be cut by Bert Cole's sawmill. We would like to give special thanks to the Courier Tribune, Seneca, Kansas for granting permission to web publish this article.