The Battle of Cameron Dam   (Photos)

In 1904, John F. Dietz and his family purchased a farmstead on the Thornapple River about 8 miles southeast of the Village of Winter. Dietz soon discovered that the Cameron Dam, one of the many logging dams on this important tributary of the Chippewa River, lay on his property. He thereupon claimed that the Chippewa Lumber 7 Boom Company, a Weyerhauser affiliate, owed him a toll for logs driven downstream. For four years he refused to permit logs to be sluiced down the Thornapple, defending “his” dam at gunpoint and successfully resisting attempts to arrest him. At least one deputy and two of Dietz’ children were wounded in confrontations. In becoming an outlaw, Dietz also became a folk hero with a nationwide following. In October 1910, a large sheriff’s posse surrounded his house. In the ensuing gun battle, Oscar Harp, a deputy, was killed.

John Dietz surrendered and was sentenced to life in prison. He served ten years, but public pressure eventually convinced Governor John J. Blain to pardon him in May 1921. Dietz died in 1924. Cameron Dam has long since disappeared. Several books and even a play have been written about the Battle of Cameron Dam.

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