The dam Gladwin County bought for a dollar

The dollar story belongs to the dam, not the lake. Wiggins Lake crosses Sage and Grout townships behind Chappel Dam on the Cedar River. Even the official acreage is not as tidy as it sounds: a historical DNR map labels the lake at 345 acres, while the DNR’s statewide walleye management plan uses 293 acres. For everyday purposes, think of it as roughly 300 acres rather than treating either number as a surveyed property boundary.

The Wiggins Lake Authority says the dam took its current form in the early 1920s to make electricity. In 1961, Gladwin County bought it for one dollar, and it remains county property. The five-member lake authority oversees the lake level and dam, while local volunteers handle much of the routine operation. Gladwin County remains the owner and public partner.

The phrase “high hazard” needs a little translation. It describes what could happen downstream if the dam failed; it is not a grade saying the dam is in poor condition. The county’s current hazard plan uses that classification, while the lake authority’s June 2026 update says the 2025 professional inspection found the dam in satisfactory to very good condition, with no immediate action required and eight recommendations to address before the next inspection.

If you’re looking at lake property, check the authority’s latest lake-level and inspection updates plus the county drain commission’s meeting notices and assessment rolls. If you’re bringing a boat, check the DNR’s Wiggins Lake controls too; they include speed-hour rules and a slow-no-wake area near Chappel Dam. Those current pages tell you much more than the old one-dollar story can by itself.