Gillham Lake is a small

reservoir A reservoir (; from French ''réservoir'' ) is an enlarged lake behind a dam. Such a dam may be either artificial, built to store fresh water or it may be a natural formation. Reservoirs can be created in a number of ways, including contro ...

located along the

Cossatot River The Cossatot River is an river in Howard, Polk and Sevier counties in the U.S. state of Arkansas. The Cossatot begins in the Ouachita Mountains southeast of Mena, Arkansas. The river flows through the Ouachita National Forest and then in a ...

, mostly in Howard County, but also extending westward into

Polk County Polk County is the name of twelve counties in the United States, all except two named after president of the United States James Knox Polk: * Polk County, Arkansas * Polk County, Florida * Polk County, Georgia * Polk County, Iowa * Polk Count ...

Arkansas Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the South Central United States. It is bordered by Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, and Texas and Oklahoma to the west. Its name is from the O ...

. The lake is from

Gillham, Arkansas Gillham is a town in Sevier County, Arkansas, United States. The population was 188 at the 2000 census. It is located six miles from Gillham Lake. Geography Gillham is located at (34.170083, -94.315529). According to the United States Census Bu ...

Recreation

The Flood Control Act of 1958 approved the lake for construction. The lake provides

flood control Flood control methods are used to reduce or prevent the detrimental effects of flood waters."Flood Control", MSN Encarta, 2008 (see below: Further reading). Flood relief methods are used to reduce the effects of flood waters or high water level ...

water supply Water supply is the provision of water by public utilities, commercial organisations, community endeavors or by individuals, usually via a system of pumps and pipes. Public water supply systems are crucial to properly functioning societies. Thes ...

and

wildlife Wildlife refers to undomesticated animal species, but has come to include all organisms that grow or live wild in an area without being introduced by humans. Wildlife was also synonymous to game: those birds and mammals that were hunted ...

conservation. Recreation was not planned for the lake purposes but they were included anyway. Gillham has five recreation areas, five boat ramps, three campgrounds, one picnic shelter, and one designated swim area. Gillham Lake includes of fishing; bass is mostly caught in the lake. Canoeing and fly fishing on the

are popular. The river can be canoed about south of the dam to U.S. Highway 71 South. The Cossatot River has been noted as the best canoeing area between the

Rocky Mountains The Rocky Mountains, also known as the Rockies, are a major mountain range and the largest mountain system in North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch in straight-line distance from the northernmost part of western Canada, to New Mexico ...

and the

Great Smoky Mountains The Great Smoky Mountains (, ''Equa Dutsusdu Dodalv'') are a mountain range rising along the Tennessee–North Carolina border in the southeastern United States. They are a subrange of the Appalachian Mountains, and form part of the Blue Ridge ...

. There are two designated picnicking areas and one picnicking shelter that are chiefly used for reunions and family recreation. Gillham Lake also has the Coon Creek Walking Trail which is located on the entry road to Big Coon Creek Park.

Construction

Work on Gillham Dam began on June 1963, roads had to be relocated following the construction of the dam. The first concrete in the spillway was poured in November 1968. Work was halted in February 1971 but resumed in August 1972. The dam began storing water May 8, 1975.

External links

U. S. Army Corps of Engineers: Gillham LakeU.S. Army Corps of Engineers: Corps Lake Gateway – Cossatot Lake
{{authority control Reservoirs in Arkansas Protected areas of Howard County, Arkansas Protected areas of Polk County, Arkansas Buildings and structures in Howard County, Arkansas Buildings and structures in Polk County, Arkansas Bodies of water of Howard County, Arkansas Bodies of water of Polk County, Arkansas 1975 establishments in Arkansas

Recreation

Construction

See also

External links