The Martin – Dunham Reservoir
The Martin – Dunham Reservoir was constructed to be a water source for the City of Troy. Construction began in 1911. The farms of the Martin family and the Dunham family were acquired by eminent domain by Troy and flooded to create the reservoir. A temporary rail line was constructed in order to move large amounts of rocks and soil.
The labor was supplied by both local workers and Italian immigrants. Sometimes there were clashes, such as a labor riot that was reported in The Troy Times on May 9,1914: “Sheriff Snell was notified this afternoon that a riot had broken out among the Italian laborers employed on Martin – Dunham Reservoir of the water works of Grafton.”