Red Willow Dam facts for kids

Red Willow Dam is a large structure in Frontier County, Nebraska, located about ten miles northwest of the city of McCook. It helps manage water in the area.

Building the Red Willow Dam

The Red Willow Dam is an earthen dam, which means it's built mostly from earth, rock, and clay. Workers constructed this dam between 1960 and 1962. It stands tall at 126 feet, which is about as high as a 12-story building!

The dam was built by the United States Bureau of Reclamation. This is a special government agency that helps manage water resources across the country. Their main goal for the Red Willow Dam was to control floods. It holds back the water from Willow Creek, preventing it from overflowing and causing damage.

Hugh Butler Lake: A Place for Fun

Behind the Red Willow Dam is a large body of water called Hugh Butler Lake. This lake is a reservoir, which means it's an artificial lake created by the dam.

Hugh Butler Lake covers a big area, about 1,629 acres of water. It also has about 35 miles of shoreline, which is a lot of space to explore! The lake can hold a huge amount of water, up to 86,630 acre-feet. An acre-foot is the amount of water needed to cover one acre of land with water one foot deep.

This lake is a popular spot for many outdoor activities. You can go fishing for different kinds of fish like walleye, crappie, and catfish. People also enjoy hunting, boating, camping, and hiking around the lake. The land around the lake is part of Nebraska's Red Willow Reservoir State Recreation Area, making it a great place for families to visit and enjoy nature.