Battle of Cameron Dam

John F. Dietz fought the Battle of Cameron Dam in 1910 where he held off 60 sheriff's deputies in Sawyer County, Wisconsin in a one-week standoff.

History

He was born April 3, 1861 in Winneconne, Wisconsin. For six years, he maintained a log dam on the Thornapple River. By the time the standoff ended he was a national hero.[1][2] He was found guilty of murder and given a life sentence.[3]

A historical marker marker near the site reads:

In 1904, John F. Deitz and his family purchased a farmstead on the Thornapple River about 2 miles south of here. Deitz soon discovered that Cameron Dam -- one of many logging dams on this important tributary of the Chippewa River -- lay on his property. He thereupon claimed that the Chippewa Lumber & Boom Co., a Weyerhaeuser affiliate, owed him a toll for logs driven downriver. For four years he refused to permit logs to be sluiced down the Thornapple, defending "his" dam at gunpoint and successfully resisting attempts to arrest him. At least one deputy and two of Deitz's children were wounded in confrontations. In becoming an outlaw, Deitz also became a folk hero with a nationwide following. In October 1910, a large sheriff's posse surrounded his house. In the ensuing gun battle, Oscar Harp, a deputy, was killed. John Deitz surrendered, stood trial for murder, and was sentenced to life imprisonment. He served 10 years, but public pressure eventually convinced Gov. John J. Blain to pardon him in May 1921. Deitz died in 1924. Cameron Dam has long since disappeared.[4]

See also

"'Defender of Cameron Dam' was icon for the underdog" article by Dennis McCann.

References

  1. ↑ "Dietz Surrenders. He and Son Wounded. Defenders of Cameron Dam Give in After Officers Trap and Disable the Men". New York Times. October 9, 1910. Retrieved 2010-11-06. One man was killed and three were injured before John Deitz surrendered at 3:30 this afternoon at his home near Cameron Dam after defying a Sheriff's posse for weeks and living in defiance of the law for six years in what he believed was justifiable protection of his property rights.
  2. ↑ "John F. Dietz "Battle of Cameron Dam"". Wisconsin Historical Markers. Retrieved 2010-11-06.
  3. ↑ "Life Term For Dietz For Killing Sheriff. Smiles at the Verdict and Blames Wisconsin Lumber Trust for Trying to Ruin Him. Fight Started Over A Dam. Guarded It with Guns When Companies' Men Tried to Run Their Logs Past.". New York Times. May 13, 1911. Retrieved 2010-11-06. John F. Dietz will spend the remainder of his life at hard labor in the State Penitentiary at Waupun for the murder of Deputy Oscar Harp, in the battle of Cameron Dam on Oct. 8 last.
  4. ↑ "Wisconsin Historical Markers: Marker 316: John Deitz "Battle of Cameron Dam"". wisconsinhistoricalmarkers.blogspot.com. Retrieved 2016-01-21.


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