The Crissy Lake Dam is a lowhead dam located in Morris, MN. It is a reservoir that was built from 1936-1939 as part of the Works Progress Administration. It was included as part of the larger Lac Qui Parle Flood Control Project, which at the time was the largest flood control project in the state. The goal of building the reservoir was to create an area for recreation in the growing town in the form of a swimming beach. The lifespan of lowhead dams is typically 50 years.
DNR staff met with the Stevens County SWCD, Pomme de Terre River Association, and the City of Morris over the winter of 2023-2024 to discuss the possibility of working on a project at the Crissy Lake Dam. An application was submitted through the Pomme de Terre River Association with a letter of support from the City of Morris to fund a potential project. As part of the application the approach listed was to convert the dam to a rock arch rapids.
The State of Minnesota, through the DNR Ecological and Water Resources Division, operates and maintains the Crissy Lake Dam and is therefore considered the owner according to MN Rule 6115.0320 Subp.10. The City of Morris owns and operates the surrounding Pomme de Terre Park.
Though it is listed on the National Inventory of Dams and the MN DNR Dam Index as “Crissy Lake Dam,” the dam has been widely known as, “The Mill Dam.” In the 1800s, a dam was constructed to power a stone mill. In 1897, the Mill Dam failed.
The name “Crissy” comes from the official lake name as “Crissy Lake,” seen on the 1968 Minnesota Inventory of Lakes (pg. 413). Though it is spelled differently, the name could be from Stevens County’s 1933-1938 State Representative, A.D. Crissey. Various issues of the now defunct newspaper The Morris Tribune report Rep. Crissey as being a strong supporter of the dam and even being the one to bring the proposal documents to the Legislature in Saint Paul.
