The dam is located at the site of a natural rapids in the river. River rapids are common in this area where the Saint Louis River plunges from an elevation of 1,200 feet on top of the bluffs down to Lake Superior at an elevation of 602 feet. The Saint Louis River has two channels in this location. The main dam and powerhouse is on the south channel of the river. It consists of a 1,644 foot wide reinforced concrete and steel structure. The structure is sitting on piles driven into the rock at the rapids. The dam depends on its weight to hold it in place on these pilings. The north channel is much narrower and requires a very short dam.
The downstream side of the dam is blocked off by the Sappi Paper Mill, which is the former Potlatch Mill. A road runs along the north side of the river. It is blocked off by a gate, but parking is allowed along this road and you can walk in to the dam site. The photo above is the pool side of the gate structure as seen from the south side of the river. The photo below is the upriver side of the powerhouse, also seen from the south side of the river.
