In order to find some possible futures of the Ames Mill dam and surrounding areas, we did research on two fronts: specific predictions and analyses of Northfield and the Cannon River, and similar dams that have been removed, breached etc.

Research for this project was difficult, because unlike other projects dealing with the past and present, we had to be creative to find sources that helped us establish a speculative future. On the first front, research into the Cannon River watershed and Minnesota’s climate were very helpful. Past researchers at Carleton and St. Olaf have looked into the dam and the potential effects of its removal, which was extremely helpful. Minnesota climate predictions were also helpful for imagining speculative futures slightly more removed from the present, as we could infer how climate changes might impact Northfield. On the second front, it was helpful to see concrete examples of dam removals in similar rivers and how they directly impacted wildlife and recreation. Drawing from these sources allows for us to create some reasonable speculations for futures in which the dam is removed, and similarly breach stories can tell us about the consequences of old dams failing.

Going from concrete sources to speculative futures was still challenging, and because of this we decided to include more detailed entries on each future that explain why we think it might come to pass based on the sources that we found.

For a complete bibliography, see below:

“Dam Failures and Incidents | Association of State Dam Safety.” Accessed May 2, 2023. https://damsafety.org/dam-failures.

Gelwicks, Greg, Greg Simmons, and Megan Thul. “Effects of the Vernon Springs Dam Modification on Fishes in the Turkey River, Iowa.,” n.d.

Indigenous Stewardship of Water Symposium, 2021. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yOTKQgYY7sA.

“Map of U.S. Dams Removed Since 1912 —.” Accessed May 2, 2023. https://www.americanrivers.org/threats-solutions/restoring-damaged-rivers/dam-removal-map/.

“Peek Behind the Scenes: Van Reed Paper Mill Dam Removal —.” Accessed May 2, 2023. https://www.americanrivers.org/2022/11/peek-behind-the-scenes-van-reed-paper-mill-dam-removal/.