Construction on the first dam began in late summer 1853 using rocks, earth, and tamarack log pilings cut from swamps near Round Lake in Andover, MN. It diverted water to power a saw mill then being built on the east bank. High water damaged the dam in May 1854, and within hours the center section washed away. Repairs were made by cutting away timbers over the washout and lowering cribs of brush and timber, weighted with stones and sandbags, into the gap until the hole was plugged. Other washouts occurred over the years, and each time a new dam was built in the same location. The dam spurred economic development in Anoka, where the mills provided most of the town's jobs. It powered saw mills and flour mills on the east bank, but by the 1870s steam power was considered more reliable because it did not depend on river levels.