Following the disastrous flood of 1913, the Miami Conservancy District was formed to protect the river valley from further flooding.  The conservancy district devised a flood protection system consisting of dams, levees, and the widening of the river channel in a number of locations.
 

The widening of the Miami River near downtown Hamilton, 1919	Machinery used to widen the river channel, 1919

In Hamilton, the river channel was widened and earthworks were created to keep the river within its banks in time of high water.  A barrier dam, located just above Hamilton, was built around 1922.

In 1988, another project of the Miami Conservancy was begun in Hamilton, the creation of a low-level dam to allow recreational use of the River.  A special election, held in March, 1988, approved $1.7 million in bonds to construct the dam.
 

Construction of the Dam, 1989	Hamilton Dam, looking to the River's west bank

 © 2000 by the Butler County Historical Society