Lake Settons in the Nièvre department was created by a granite dam built on the Cure river starting in 1854. The dam, 271 meters long and 19.50 meters high—roughly the height of a six-story building—was constructed to transport firewood from the Morvan region to Paris. When completed in 1858, it formed a lake covering 360 hectares, or about 500 football fields. Today, the lake is a popular spot for swimming, sailing, and fishing, a far cry from its original function as a transport route for firewood. Firewood from the Morvan region was a vital energy source for Paris from the mid-16th century until the mid-19th century. A method called "log floating" or "perdues" was used, where logs were released into rivers without being tied, relying on the current to carry them. In places like Clamecy or Vermenton, the logs were gathered into long floating trains, which were guided along the Yonne and Seine rivers. Springtime water releases were used to create artificial floods that helped move the logs downstream. To manage these releases, the French government constructed dams, including the one on the Cure. Plans for the dam in the Cure river date back to 1780, but construction did not begin until 1854—over 70 years later. By that time, coal was beginning to replace firewood as a primary energy source, and the log floating method was already declining. The dam was inaugurated in 1858 and officially listed as a historical monument in March 2024. Some local sources suggest the dam's construction ended in 1861, three years after the inauguration, which explains why different guides sometimes give slightly different dates. Although the transport of firewood via the river eventually ceased in the 1920s, the dam still serves an important function today. Along with other dams in the Morvan region, it helps regulate the flow of the Yonne and Seine rivers, reducing the risk of flooding in Paris. The dam’s structure remains visible, with its granite embankment stretching 271 meters across the valley. The lake around it has a perimeter of 17 kilometers and is now a natural feature of the Regional Natural Park of the Morvan. This summer, firewood is once again being stored for the first fires of the season, though the water releases now serve a different purpose. Instead of guiding logs downstream, they help kayakers navigate the Cure river, where the floating logs once traveled.