The Middle Little River empties into the Catawba River from the north between the Rhodhiss Dam and the Oxford Dam. Current settlers refer to this section of the Catawba as Lake Hickory.  There is an Upper Little River that flows into the Catawba nearer to the Rhodhiss Dam at the upper end of the lake; the Lower Little River is towards the Oxford end.

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        The Middle Little River is impounded by Rink Dam. "Rink Pond" holds roughly 800 surface acres of water within the dam's elevation of 935 feet above sea level. The river emerges into Rink Pond from the tail waters of the Moretz Dam which sits just north of where the Middle Little River crosses Teague Town Road. The elevation of Moretz Dam is 965 feet above sea level.

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        As the crow flies, the distance between Moretz Dam and Rink Dam is just over a mile and a quarter. As an elderly but enthusiastic canoe paddler paddles, it's just under three miles.

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        There were many such dams constructed in the first decades of the 20th century. Most are still there but no longer generate electricity. As dams go, the first in a series is constructed below the headwaters of the source. It goes downhill from there... so to speak. Moretz Dam was built in 1920; Rink Dam was built in 1925. Miss Mel over at the Alexander County Library has more, just click. The same process was underway on the Catawba River, the Rhodhiss Dam was built in 1925, two years later Oxford Dam was built.

       

        When the "Falls Manufacturing Company" out of Granite Falls, NC built Rink Dam, they first had to purchase the land to be flooded. That required obtaining deeds from all affected land-owners. Water rights deeds were required for tracts upriver above the pond's elevation. This documentation reveals a wealth of information with regard to who owned what, where and when.

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        Rink Dam generated power for 10 years until Oxford Dam on the Catawba was constructed in 1935. Outlets through the bottom of Rink Dam went down to the power house below the dam. There was a considerable fall that drove the turbines. When Oxford dam was built, the water level below Rink Dam rose. That negated the fall and ended the generation of power from Rink Dam. You can see what it looked like below the dam before Lake Hickory was impounded in the gallery below.  The block foundation for the former power station was extended upward to just above where the water level would be when Oxford Dam was complete. The idea was to allow for the possibility of new technology that could generate electricity with much less fall. Today, the outlets are still visible at water level next to the block foundation. The power house foundation is still patiently waiting for a new house with a new generator.

 

        The technology is now here but hydro power is not exploited to the degree it used to be. There are hundreds of small dams sitting idle as an endless gush of mighty power spills over them forever more. One such dam, Millersville Dam, was refurbished privately and is operating.

 

        Many years ago, we got wind of a rumor that Rink Dam was going to be torn down by Duke Power, the current owner. Panic set in when I inquired and was told by a Mr. Keith Featherstone that the rumor was true. He said the dam was for sale if I wanted to prevent its demise. As Mr. Featherstone told it, the plan was to drill holes in the dam going lower and lower until there was nothing left above but a little muddy creek. They were going to start that Summer but the dam could be had now for $10. I asked if he'd take $8, he said, "probably so". It came with no land, just the concrete and the water it held. Oh yea, it also included the liability.

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        For a time, we seriously considered saving up $8 and buying the dam. I talked to the man who bought Icard Dam. His dam did come with some land, it was also owned by Duke Power. The same person, Keith Featherstone, was the person tasked to sell it. I learned that the same strong-arm tactics were used with horror stories about mud puddles where a lake used to be. The buyer was not regretful but became convinced his dam was never going to be torn down. It was an empty threat. This was subsequently confirmed to me by Mr. Featherstone himself after I riled up the neighborhood and Duke Power's phone lines went crazy. That was all decades ago and the dam is still there.​​

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        The Middle Little River for a time was referred to as "Barrett's Little River" after pioneer Jonathan Barrett. He entered a large tract of land bounded on the west by the river when America was still British America. As illustrated above, the early part of the 20th century began an era of  taming and harnessing waterways with dams built with re-enforced concrete. This technology was invented by Joseph Monier in 1849. 

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        Dams certainly existed long before this era as well. When property was being procured for for the construction of Rink Dam and the resulting pond, one such dam was Daniel Wittenberg's flour mill. It was made a federal Post Office in 1834. Daniel's heirs had a fixed deadline to remove operations before the impoundment was flooded. There were also smaller mills all up and down the rivers and creeks. The power they provided was harnessed and exploited in any way possible. Life before electricity and the internal combustion engine is hard for us to imagine but those luxuries were completely unimaginable for early pioneers. 

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                                        (See the Gallery below for photos)