From the "Y" to the Back Channel 1938 vs 2012

Man that is fun to look at. There is a little of both. A few spots that look the same and then spots that rrr totally different.

I’ve been looking for a photo of the area before the dam was completed in 1936.

Anyone have any ideas?

I would think one of your old cameras from in high school should have a picture from before the dam was built.

Was wondering in the 1st photo why the state line was around the island. Answered that in the 2nd photo.

From my understanding Mike, (although I wasn’t there contrary to popular belief John ) The lock area and the stretch that we use now in front of the island was not there before the dam.

These were man made and most of the dredge material makes up the island between the lock and dam.

The Cannon and Vermilion Rivers came out below Everts.

Sad to see the gradual destruction of side channels and back waters due to siltation. Give it another 75 years and it might just be a narrow 9 foot minimum depth shipping lane.

Funny how things change when the corp dumped sand and river dredge on the back side of Diamond Island many years ago!!

That makes sense Darrell. Do you know when that was roughly?

That was about the mid sixties, as I remember. We used to fish on the back side of the island.

Brian, I checked with the Goodhue County Historical Society to see if they had any aerial photos and they said they did not but they do have about 15 photos of the construction of the lock and dam #3 in case you are interested. I plan to stop by there and have a look.

I remember the great fishing found in front of and a little below the downstream end of that loop. A guy could run a boat right up into loop from below during the high water period in the spring and often that’s where they fishing was. What ever became of that DNR cabin that sat on the island? There were stair that led up to it and right in front of those steps was a deep hole that catfish laid in. Every now and again we’d get “hung up on the bottom” only to have the bottom swim away.

Dale, if you can snap some phone pics that would be great. I’m not interested enough in paying for them.

Tom, that cabin is still there but privately owned.
From a client I took out cat fishing, they said the cabin owners own the whole island.

I’ve use a camera in that “hole” many times because it was a well known wintering spot. Never saw a flat there although I have caught them there in the summer.