Strawberry Dam facts for kids

Strawberry Dam (National ID # CA00388), also known as Main Strawberry Dam, is a large dam located in Tuolumne County, California. It was built to help create electricity using the power of water.

Building the Dam

This dam is made of rocks and concrete, which is called a rockfill masonry dam. It was first built in 1916 by a company called Sierra and San Francisco Power Company. The dam is about 143 feet tall and 720 feet long at the top.

Strawberry Dam holds back the water of the South Fork Stanislaus River. This water is used only to make hydroelectric power. Hydroelectric power means electricity made from moving water. Today, the dam is owned and operated by Pacific Gas and Electric Company, which has over 170 dams.

Pinecrest Lake: A Fun Place!

The dam creates a big lake called Pinecrest Lake. This lake is a reservoir, which is a man-made lake used to store water. Pinecrest Lake covers about 300 acres and can hold about 18,312 acre-feet of water.

Pinecrest Lake is a very popular spot for fun activities! You can go boating, fishing, and camping there. In the winter, people also enjoy winter sports.

The lake is part of the Pinecrest Recreation Area, which is inside the Stanislaus National Forest. Pinecrest Lake was also once home to a place called Camp Stephens.

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