Bailey's Dam

Bailey's Dam
Remnants of Bailey's Dam in 1984
LocationAlexandria / Pineville, Louisiana
Construction beganApril 28, 1864
Opening dateMay 8, 1864
Demolition dateMay 13, 1864
Dam and spillways
Type of damRock-crib
ImpoundsRed River
Height~7 ft.
Length~758 ft.
Bailey's Dam Site
Bailey's Dam is located in Louisiana
Bailey's Dam
Bailey's Dam is located in the United States
Bailey's Dam
LocationRed River S of U.S. 71, Alexandria, Louisiana
Coordinates31°19′32″N 92°27′7″W / 31.32556°N 92.45194°W / 31.32556; -92.45194
Area8 acres (3.2 ha)
Built1864
NRHP reference No.76000973[1]
Added to NRHPJune 29, 1976

Bailey's Dam was a timber dam on the Red River in Alexandria, Louisiana. It was built in 1864 during the Red River Campaign in the American Civil War. It was planned by Lieutenant Colonel Joseph Bailey to afford passage over the Alexandria rapids for part of Rear Admiral David Dixon Porter's Mississippi River Squadron. The dam successfully raised the level of the river and was then breached in order to allow the boats in its reservoir to pass downstream.[2][3]

  1. ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
  2. ^ "Bailey's Dam: How to float gunboats in three feet of water". Civil War Preservation Trust. Archived from the original on 9 April 2016. Retrieved 24 July 2010.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference nps was invoked but never defined (see the help page).