Built in 1927, Glines Canyon Dam was located 13 miles (21 km) upriver from the mouth of the Elwha River at the Strait of Juan de Fuca, and about 8 miles (13 km) upriver from Elwha Dam.

The project was the largest dam removal in history until the restoration of the lower Klamath River in the 2020s.

The dam was built privately to generate electricity for industries and major military installations on the Olympic Peninsula, including lumber and paper mills in Port Angeles.

The Elwha River Ecosystem and Fisheries Restoration Act of 1992 authorized the US Federal Government to acquire the Elwha Dam and Glines Canyon Dam hydroelectric power projects for decommissioning and demolition for habitat restoration.

[6] Now that the dam has been removed, the area that was under Lake Mills is being revegetated and its banks secured to prevent erosion and to speed up ecological restoration.