Construction preparations for creating the upper dam that would help harness the water power of the Androscoggin River in Rumford to power Hugh Chisholm's paper mills.

Hugh J. Chisholm, an entrepreneur and millionaire, is said to have seen great opportunities for industry when he first visited Rumford falls in 1882. Chisholm founded Rumford Falls, several pulp & paper companies, and created Strathmore Village, a housing community for employees of his mills.