Lake Texoma

Lake Texoma is on the Red River between Texas and Oklahoma in Grayson and Cooke counties, Texas, and Marshall, Johnson, Bryan, and Love counties, Oklahoma (its center point is 33°49' N, 96°34' W). It spreads over 89,000 acres and is protected by Denison Dam, five miles northwest of Denison, Texas. The project, authorized by the Flood Control Act of 1938, was built by the United States Army Corps of Engineers under the direction of Lucius D. Clay and is operated by the corps of engineers, Tulsa District. The lake is owned by the United States government; construction costing $54 million began in 1939, and an informal opening was held in 1944. The dam is an earth embankment of rolled-fill type, 15,350 feet long and 165 feet high. It was built for flood control, power generation, conservation, and recreation. It houses two 35,000-kilowatt units with provisions for the installation of five additional power units. The lake's capacity is 4,505,000 acre-feet, and its discharge capacity is 750,000 cubic feet per second. The lake and dam have 1,250 miles of shoreline and protect 1,127,000 acres of land. Recreational facilities in the 194,775-square-mile area are under direction of the National Park Service, which maintains concessions for hunting, boating, fishing, and camping.

Adapted from the official Handbook of Texas, a state encyclopedia developed by the Texas State Historical Association (TSHA). It is an authoritative source of trusted historical records.