Sullivan Lake to be Flooded for Power
The Inland Portland Cement Company plans to raise the lake level by 40 feet, submerging government timber and a squatter's homestead.
The Inland Portland Cement Co., which is erecting the big dam and power plant at Sullivan Creek, has filed a plat with the Kaniksu National Forest to raise the present level of Sullivan Lake by 40 feet. The first intention of the company was to raise the lake 25 feet, but it has been found necessary to increase the storage capacity. The 40-foot raise will back the water up about three-quarters of a mile and will cover about a quarter section of land, most of which is government land. About 40 acres of the squatter's claim of J. D. McIntyre will be flooded and his buildings will be submerged. The cement company is required to purchase and remove all the timber submerged and also to slash and burn all brush.
“About 40 acres of the squatter's claim of J. D. McIntyre will be flooded and his buildings will be submerged.”
The transformation of Sullivan Lake into a reservoir for industrial power generation reflects the early 20th-century drive to harness Pend Oreille County's natural resources. Today, the lake is a popular recreation area, but the submerged history of homesteads like McIntyre's remains a reminder of the era's aggressive infrastructure development.
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