Heyburn Lake facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Heyburn Lake |
|
|---|---|
 Heyburn Lake
Location in Oklahoma
Heyburn Lake
Location in the United States
|
|
| Location | Creek County, near Kellyville, Oklahoma |
| Coordinates | 35°57′09″N 96°18′10″W / 35.952629°N 96.302672°W |
| Managing agency | Army Corps of Engineers |
| Built | 1950 |
| Surface area | 940 acres (380 ha) |
| Water volume | 55,395 acre⋅ft (68,329,000 m3) |
| Shore length1 | 52 mi (84 km) |
| Surface elevation | 784 ft (239 m) |
| 1 Shore length is not a well-defined measure. | |
Heyburn Lake is a human-made lake in Creek County, Oklahoma. It was created on Polecat Creek. You can find it about 15 miles (24 km) southwest of Sapulpa, Oklahoma. Other smaller creeks, like Tiger and Brown Creeks, also flow into the lake. The closest town to the lake is Kellyville, Oklahoma.
The lake got its name from an old town called Heyburn, which doesn't exist anymore. Heyburn Lake has a few important jobs. It helps control floods, provides drinking water, and is a great place for fun activities. The Corps of Engineers owns and manages the lake. Right next to the lake, you'll find Heyburn State Park, which is a fun place to visit too!
About Heyburn Lake
The big earthen dam that holds back the water to form Heyburn Lake was finished in 1950. This dam is 89 feet (27 m) tall, measured from the original streambed. It is also very long, stretching about 2,920 feet (890 m) across.
Heyburn Lake can hold a lot of water. Its total capacity is 55,030 acre-feet. A smaller part of this, 3,800 acre-feet, is kept for everyday use. This includes 1,900 acre-feet for people's drinking water and another 1,900 acre-feet for collecting sediment. The biggest part, 48,410 acre-feet, is saved to store extra water during floods. This helps protect nearby areas from getting flooded.
Normally, the surface of the lake covers about 940 acres (380 ha). The shoreline, which is the edge of the lake, is quite long, stretching for about 52 miles (84 km).
Fun Things to Do at Heyburn Lake
Heyburn Lake is a popular spot for many outdoor activities. You can go boating, water skiing, and swimming in the lake. It's also a great place for fishing!
There are three main areas around the lake where you can camp:
- Sunset Bay: This area is perfect for setting up tents.
- Sheppard Point: Here, you can find spots for both tents and RVs (recreational vehicles).
- Heyburn Park: This area is mainly for RVs.
All these camping spots have nice picnic areas where you can eat outdoors. They also have restrooms, showers, and playgrounds for kids. Plus, each area has boat launches, making it easy to get your boat into the water.
If you enjoy hunting, there's a special area called the Heyburn Public Hunting Area. It's a large space, about 6,000 acres (2,400 ha), where people can hunt certain animals. These include quail, squirrel, rabbit, waterfowl (like ducks), and wild turkey.
The Old Town of Heyburn
The small town of Heyburn, Oklahoma, was built a long time ago, in the 1880s. It was located along the Frisco railroad tracks. The town was named after a local person called Clay Heyburn.
By 1920, Heyburn had about 35 people living there. It had a train station, a post office, two general stores, and a cotton gin. The post office was open from December 11, 1911, until October 14, 1922.
Later, when U.S. Route 66 was built, it passed about half a mile north of the town. One of the general stores moved to the new highway. Soon after, the rest of the town was left empty, and the buildings disappeared. The store that moved to the highway has changed owners and locations a few times, but it is still known as the "Heyburn store" today.
