Lake Size: 3,890 Acres
Shoreline Length (Miles): 60 Miles
Deepest Depth: 60 ft
Latitude: 45.2247
Longitude: -91.1279
Lake Level Above Sea Level: 1014 ft (309 m)
Counties: Chippewa County
Cities: Ladysmith

Information: ", The NSP dam at Holcornbe is actually the third dam to be constructed along this stretch of the Chippewa River. The original dam, which spanned the river less than one mile north of the present structure, was called the Little Falls Dam. , , Built in 1872 by the Union Lumbering Company, both the dam and community were then known as Little Falls. Of timber crib construction, the dam was reputed to be the world's largest. (right angle) wooden dam. Its purpose was to store water that could later be released to float logs down river. In the late 1800s, the virgin timber in the country to the north attracted a growing lumber industry. Floods were still common events on the Chippewa River, and portions of the wooden dam frequently floated away in times of high water. In 1885, a flood finally tore the dam out entirely. It was immediately rebuilt, however, to meet the needs of the Chippewa Lumber and Board Company, which had acquired the dam in 1880. Operating the world's largest sawmill down river in Chippewa Falls, the company built the world's Largest wooden darn to supply the logs. While the dam brought prosperity to the area, it also witnessed tragedy. A terrible accident occurred at the dam in 1905 when a river boat capsized and eleven young men, who were taking part in the annual log drive drowned. , , By 1910 the logging boom was over and the big mill closed its doors. Although the sawmill had endured floods and fires, survived market crashes, and driven out ita competitors, it finally failed when the supply of logs was gone. That year the dam at Little Falls was also abandoned. , , In 1912 the site was purchased by the Chippewa Valley Construction Company, which sold it in 1914 to the Wisconsin-Minnesota Light and Power Company (later Northern States Power Company). Buffeted by the river, the rest of the Little Falls Dam washed away sometime in the 1920s. It wasn't until 1950, when the present dam was completed, that the river's power at Holcombe was again harnessed, This time to light the buildings constructed of the logs once collected behind the old wooden dam."