Norfork Dam facts for kids
Norfork Dam is a large dam located in northern Arkansas, near Mountain Home. It holds back the North Fork River, creating Norfork Lake. A two-lane road, part of AR 177, runs across the top of the dam.
Building Norfork Dam
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In the late 1930s, before Norfork Dam was built, the people in Baxter County, Arkansas, were facing hard times. Many farms were abandoned, and families struggled to make enough money. Everyone hoped for a solution to their economic problems. When construction of the dam began in the spring of 1941, people in Mountain Home, Arkansas, the biggest town nearby, felt a new and better time was starting. This project by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers was expected to bring big changes to the area.
Clyde T. Ellis, a representative for the area, had a big dream. He wanted to build dams in Arkansas, similar to the New Deal projects that helped people during the Great Depression. Ellis worked hard to make Norfork Dam a reality, hoping it would bring cheap hydroelectricity (power from water) and new jobs to the region. He believed that if Norfork Dam was built, other dams would follow. The plan to build Norfork Dam was approved in 1938 as part of a law to control floods in the White River area.
Why Power Was Added
At first, the plan for Norfork Dam did not include making electricity. However, the people of Baxter County really wanted power generation. There weren't enough power lines in the area, and they worried it would take a long time to get electricity without the dam providing it. Many citizens met to ask for power generation to be part of the dam's purpose. They feared that without it, the dam might not be built at all because it wouldn't seem worth the cost. Luckily, shortly after construction started, the government decided to add a power plant and two generators to Norfork Dam, especially with the threat of war making electricity even more important.
How the Dam Was Built
Norfork Dam was one of the six largest concrete dams in the United States when it was built. Before construction could begin, engineers had to find the perfect spot. They used special drills to explore the ground for almost a year because the area had many caves. Once a site was chosen, they needed to find materials like sand and gravel nearby. They decided to build a concrete dam because they found enough concrete materials close by.
The companies that built the dam, Morrison-Knudsen and Utah Construction Company, had also worked on famous dams like Grand Coulee Dam and Hoover Dam. Construction started in 1941. Workers had to remove a huge amount of earth to reach the solid rock foundation. They used large machines like draglines and power shovels. Most of the smaller rocks and sand came from the White River, and a special quarry was opened to get larger rocks. Thousands of people came to watch the first big blast at Norfork Dam, expecting a huge explosion!
Norfork Dam is a gravity dam. This means it stays strong and holds back the water just by its own massive weight. This type of dam uses a lot of concrete, which can be expensive. Norfork Dam and its power plant cost about $28.6 million in the early 1940s, which was a very large sum of money back then. It was built in sections, like giant concrete blocks.
After the dam was finished, people felt safer from floods, and some even moved back to farms downstream. However, not everyone was happy. About 400 people had to move from their homes to make space for the new lake. Some people didn't get paid for their land if they didn't have buildings on it, which caused problems for many families.
The highest water level ever recorded at Norfork Lake was in 2008.
Norfork Lake
Quick facts for kids Norfork Lake |
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Norfork Dam
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 Norfork Lake
Location in Arkansas
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| Location | Baxter County, Arkansas and Ozark County, Missouri, United States |
| Coordinates | 36°20′42″N 92°14′06″W / 36.345°N 92.235°W |
| Type | reservoir |
| Basin countries | United States |
| Surface area | 22,000 acres (8,900 ha) |
| Max. depth | 178 ft (54 m) (at normal pool) |
| Shore length1 | 550 mi (890 km) |
| 1 Shore length is not a well-defined measure. | |
Norfork Lake is a large lake covering about 22,000 acres. It has more than 550 miles of shoreline, which is a very long distance! There are 19 parks around the lake where people can go camping, hiking, picnicking, swimming, boating, and water skiing. Many businesses around the lake offer boats, motors, diving gear, and guides for fishing.
Most of Norfork Lake is in Baxter County, Arkansas. A small part of its northern end reaches into Ozark County, Missouri.
The lake is a great place for fishing. You can find many kinds of fish here, including bass, crappie, walleye, catfish, and bream. Below the dam, the North Fork River is famous for its excellent trout fishing. The Norfork National Fish Hatchery helps keep a steady supply of trout in the river.
