Welcome to Beaver Lake, Arkansas!
A man-made reservoir located in northwest Arkansas in the Ozark Mountains, Beaver Lake is the result of a dam constructed across the White River. With 487 miles of natural shoreline, the lake has natural caves, a variety of trees and plant life and limestone bluffs. A water source for drinking water, it is managed, treated and sold by Beaver Water District. It also a popular tourist attraction.
Authorized by the 1944 Flood Control Act, Beaver Dam was built by the United States Army Corps of Engineers from 1960 to 1966. The lake was built by impounding a significant portion of White River and flooding the valley, including a popular resort town, Monte Ne.
Located 9 miles northwest of Eureka Springs, Arkansas, Beaver Dam was built with an initial cost of $60 million. The powerhouse and switchyard construction got underway in 1963. Just two years later in 1965, power generation, which continues today, began. Beaver Lake covers about 31,700 acres and is about 50 miles long. Beaver Dam is the first dam in the tailwater chain offering cold water fishing along the White River.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has built numerous recreational facilities around the lake. Twelve developed parks have paved access roads. All of the parks offer modernized campsites with water, showers, electricity, restrooms and fire rings. The parks also have dumping stations and boat launches. The 12 recreational areas offer 677 campsites. In addition, there are 7 full-service marinas with some 1,750 boat slips. Beaver Lake welcomes 3.1 million visitors each year.
Photo at top thanks to Doug Wertman on Flickr.