Indians called this section of the river Ahdawagam, the two sided rapids, while lumbermen knew it as Grand Rapids, the most treacherous stretch of the Wisconsin River, made more dangerous by Sherman Rock. In 1838, Bloomer, Sampson and Strong harnessed the waterpower for sawing lumber. The abundant waterpower led to other mills and to communities on each bank, with Centralia on the west bank and Grand Rapids on the east side united in 1900 as Grand Rapids and later renamed Wisconsin Rapids. Ferries crossed the river until a wooden toll bridge was built in 1867 and washed out in 1888. The rapids at times could not cope with ice and flood waters, causing devastating floods, the worst in 1880 and 1935. In 1935, the flow reached a record half million gallons per second, accompanied by the cry, "The Biron Dam has gone out." The last lumber raft passed over the rapids in 1887. In 1901, the many waterpower developments on both sides of the river were combined into Consolidated Water Power Company, a parent company of the present paper mill on the opposite bank of the river, and lumbering gave way to papermaking.