July 18, 1922 – John Norberry went to Hellsgate logging dam on the Southfork of Big River to increase the height of the dam by two feet and add another gate to the structure. The improvements would increase the volume of water driving logs down the river during freshet time.
Constructed by Norberry in late 1912, Hellsgate was originally 33 feet high and 200 feet wide across the top, with a single gate to release water. The dam backed water up for nearly two miles and took almost five hours to drain.
Hellsgate Dam was last used in 1937 and destroyed in April of 1942.
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