River/Stream: Des Moines River, West Fork
Built: 1912
Owner: Humboldt County Conservation Board
Height: 15 feet
Length: 300 feet
Hazards: drowning, height
Warning Signs:
Portage: There is a boat ramp just above the dam. Portage for about a half mile along the Cottonwood Trail and put in below the rock dam across from the power plant. This dam will tear the bottom out of your boat. -- Gerry Rowland
Comments: obvious impoundment
Fatalities 2
- May 6, 2006 - angler Michael Milligan
- June 1, 1905 - Joseph Greagor, his fishing boat went over dam
Incident Report:
Officials said 50-year-old Michael Mulligan of Humboldt may have fallen in the water at the Reasoner Dam on the West Fork of the Des Moines River and drowned. He was reported missing Saturday morning after he was last seen fishing near the dam.
Someone called 9-1-1 after finding his fishing tackle and vehicle near the dam. Crews spent much of Saturday and Sunday searching for Mulligan, including dive teams from Story and Polk counties.
Photos courtesy of Dave Hillman (river at a very low flow)
