Gillham Lake facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Gillham Lake |
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 Gillham Lake
Location in Arkansas
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| Location | Howard / Polk counties, Arkansas, United States |
| Coordinates | 34°12′56″N 94°13′50″W / 34.21556°N 94.23056°W |
| Type | reservoir |
| Primary inflows | Cossatot River |
| Primary outflows | Cossatot River |
| Basin countries | United States |
| Max. depth | ca. 90 ft (27 m) |
| Surface elevation | 502 feet (153 m) |
| Islands | 4+ |
Gillham Lake is a small reservoir located in Arkansas, mostly in Howard County and partly in Polk County. A reservoir is a large, man-made lake that stores water. This lake was created along the Cossatot River. It is about 6 miles (9.7 km) away from the town of Gillham, Arkansas.
Fun at Gillham Lake
Gillham Lake was built to help control floods, provide water, and protect wildlife. Even though fun activities weren't the main reason for building it, they were added later!
The lake has lots of places for you to enjoy the outdoors:
- There are five special areas for recreation.
- You can find five boat ramps to launch your boats.
- There are three campgrounds if you want to stay overnight.
- One picnic shelter is available, perfect for family gatherings.
- There's even a special swimming area!
Fishing and Boating
Gillham Lake is a great spot for fishing, covering about 1,370 acres (6 km2) of water. Most people catch bass here.
If you like adventure, canoeing and fly fishing are very popular on the Cossatot River. You can canoe for about 16 miles (25.7 km) south of the dam. The Cossatot River is known as one of the best places for canoeing between the Rockies and the Smokeys!
Picnics and Trails
There are two special picnic areas and one picnic shelter. These are often used for family reunions and other fun get-togethers.
If you enjoy walking, check out the Coon Creek Walking Trail. You can find it on the road that leads to Big Coon Creek Park.
How Gillham Lake Was Built
Building Gillham Lake was a big project!
- Work on Gillham Dam started in June 1963.
- Some roads had to be moved because of the dam's construction.
- The first concrete for the spillway (a channel for water to flow over) was poured in November 1968.
- Work stopped for a while in February 1971 but started again in August 1972.
- The dam finally began holding water on May 8, 1975, creating Gillham Lake as we know it today!
