
Round Lake Dam, Camas, Washington
Posted by:
Rose Red
N 45° 36.035 W 122° 24.243
10T E 546476 N 5049843
In 1938, concrete and steel dams replaced the earlier dams on Round Lake. This is Round Lake’s main dam below which flows Lower Lacamas Creek.
Waymark Code: WM36F7
Location: Washington, United States
Date Posted: 02/18/2008
Views: 32

According to the signboard, in 1882, Henry L. Pittock, owner of “The Oregonian” newspaper, formed La Camas Colony Company and purchased the water rights to the lakes in La Camas region. In 1883, construction began on the two dams at the southwestern end of Round Lake, raising the water level by 12 feet. Construction began on the 7,000-foot long Mill Ditch Aqueduct, including a half-mile tunnel, from Round Lake to the company’s large paper mill in La Camas (now Camas) on the banks of the Columbia River.A wooden dam was built on Round Lake (see photo in waymark gallery) in 1902. In 1938, concrete and steel dams replaced the earlier dams on Round Lake. This is Round Lake’s main dam below which flows Lower Lacamas Creek. The newer concrete buttresses on each side of the dam and the emergency overflow help ensure the dam’s safety during flooding periods. The hand-operated gate valves in the center of the dam control the lake’s surface height and the amount of water released over the spillway.
Instructions for logging waymark: A photograph is required of you (or your GPS receiver, if you are waymarking solo) and the dam at Round Lake.