Holdenville Lake facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Holdenville Lake |
|
|---|---|
 Holdenville Lake
Location in Oklahoma
Holdenville Lake
Location in the United States
|
|
| Location | Hughes County, Oklahoma |
| Coordinates | 35°01′52″N 96°21′40″W / 35.031°N 96.361°W |
| Type | Reservoir |
| Etymology | City of Holdenville |
| Primary inflows | Beemore Creek |
| Primary outflows | Beemore Creek |
| Basin countries | United States |
| Built | 1932 |
| First flooded | March 1933 |
| Surface area | 550 acres (2.2 km2) |
| Water volume | 11,000 acre-feet (14,000,000 m3) |
| Shore length1 | 11.3 miles (18.2 km) |
| Surface elevation | 787 feet (240 m) |
| Settlements | Holdenville, Oklahoma |
| 1 Shore length is not a well-defined measure. | |
Holdenville Lake is a large reservoir located in Hughes County, Oklahoma. It is owned and managed by the City of Holdenville, Oklahoma. This lake is very important because it provides most of the drinking water for the people living in Hughes County. You can find it just 3.5 miles (5.6 km) south of Holdenville. It's also about a 1.5-hour drive from Oklahoma City.
Contents
How Holdenville Lake Was Made
Holdenville Lake is special because it wasn't built by big state or federal agencies. Instead, local people in Holdenville came up with the idea. In 2013, the lake celebrated its 90th birthday, and many stories were shared about how it came to be.
The Idea for the Lake
The story goes that Clarence Edge, who was the City Engineer at the time, was hunting squirrels near Beemore Creek. He noticed that the area would be perfect for a large lake if a dam was built across the creek. This idea came at a very good time.
When Edge told city officials about his idea, they were already looking for a new source of clean drinking water. The city had been getting water from Little River. However, that river was starting to show signs of pollution from oil drilling nearby. Holdenville needed to find a new water source quickly.
Building the Dam
Clarence Edge was asked to survey the land he had described. His reports must have been very convincing! Soon, the people of Holdenville voted to approve a bond issue. This meant they would borrow money to buy land along Beemore Creek and start building the dam.
J. J. Harrison Co. of Lindsay, Oklahoma, won the contract to build the dam. Construction began in early 1932. The project was finished about a year later, in March 1933.
Lake Size and Features
Holdenville Lake covers a large area of about 550 acres (2.2 km²). It has a shoreline that stretches for 11.3 miles (18.2 km). The deepest part of the lake is about 45.9 feet (14.0 m) deep. The lake can hold a lot of water, about 11,000 acre-feet (13,568,600 m³).
Fishing at Holdenville Lake
The Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation (ODWC) helps manage the fish in Holdenville Lake. They work to make it a great place for fishing, especially for large bass.
Types of Fish
Besides bass, you can also find many channel, blue, and flathead catfish in the lake. In recent years, a type of fish called saugeye has been added to the lake. These fish help control the population of crappie.
Fish Attractors
The ODWC has also placed several "fish attractors" in the lake. These are special structures that give fish places to hide and gather, making it easier for fishermen to find them. Most of these spots are marked with buoys. The ODWC website also provides GPS coordinates for all the fish attractors to help fishermen even more.
