From the late 1700s and into the 20th century, the village of Bethel was a thriving mill town — drawing its power from a series of dams on the White River. Here, the Hyde Dam powered a sawmill, gristmill, creamery, and a large woolen mill that employed more than 30 workers in the 1860s. As other power sources came online, dams like this were abandoned to crumble into the riverbed. Until just a few years ago, the rocky remnants of Hyde Dam blocked fish from freely swimming up and and downstream, cutting off important habitat. It also cut off people from floating the full stretch of the river.
