Jackson Lake is one of the oldest

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 ...

s in Georgia, United States, southeast of

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...

in a rural area situated within parts of three counties (

Jasper Jasper, an aggregate of microgranular quartz and/or cryptocrystalline chalcedony and other mineral phases,Kostov, R. I. 2010. Review on the mineralogical systematics of jasper and related rocks. – Archaeometry Workshop, 7, 3, 209-213PDF/ref> ...

Newton Newton most commonly refers to: * Isaac Newton (1642–1726/1727), English scientist * Newton (unit), SI unit of force named after Isaac Newton Newton may also refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Newton'' (film), a 2017 Indian film * Newton ( ...

and Butts). The Lloyd Shoals Dam was built in 1910 by Central Georgia Power Company, and electricity was originally generated for the city of Macon. Relative to others in the state, it is a smaller lake (about with of shoreline), which still generates electricity and provides a location for water sports,

boating Boating is the leisurely activity of travelling by boat, or the recreational use of a boat whether Motorboat, powerboats, Sailing, sailboats, or man-powered vessels (such as rowing and paddle boats), focused on the travel itself, as well as sp ...

wakeboarding Wakeboarding is a water sport in which the rider, standing on a wakeboard (a board with foot bindings), is towed behind a motorboat across its wake and especially up off the crest in order to perform aerial maneuvers. A hallmark of wakeboardin ...

and

fishing Fishing is the activity of trying to catch fish. Fish are often caught as wildlife from the natural environment, but may also be caught from stocked bodies of water such as ponds, canals, park wetlands and reservoirs. Fishing techniques inclu ...

. Jackson Lake is formed by the confluence of the

Yellow Yellow is the color between green and orange on the spectrum of light. It is evoked by light with a dominant wavelength of roughly 575585 nm. It is a primary color in subtractive color systems, used in painting or color printing. In the R ...

, Alcovy and

South South is one of the cardinal directions or Points of the compass, compass points. The direction is the opposite of north and is perpendicular to both east and west. Etymology The word ''south'' comes from Old English ''sūþ'', from earlier Pro ...

rivers. Tussahaw Creek is also a significant tributary. Below the Lloyd Shoals Dam, the lake's outlet is the

Ocmulgee River The Ocmulgee River () is a western tributary of the Altamaha River, approximately 255 mi (410 km) long, in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the westernmost major tributary of the Altamaha.Butts County, Georgia, who had long been a supporter of the kind of facility that the power company was planning on building there. The power company hired Theodore Ellis and associates, which was based in Macon, to clear the basin for the future

. A number of local farmers were displaced in the process, having to give up their rich bottomland in the process. Since it was a

rural In general, a rural area or a countryside is a geographic area that is located outside towns and cities. Typical rural areas have a low population density and small settlements. Agricultural areas and areas with forestry typically are describ ...

area and no

hotel A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. Facilities provided inside a hotel room may range from a modest-quality mattress in a small room to large suites with bigger, higher-quality beds, a dresser, a ref ...

inn Inns are generally establishments or buildings where travelers can seek lodging, and usually, food and drink. Inns are typically located in the country or along a highway; before the advent of motorized transportation they also provided accommo ...

was nearby, the workers had to sleep in tents. Theodore Ellis's relative, Roland Ellis, was a

lawyer A lawyer is a person who practices law. The role of a lawyer varies greatly across different legal jurisdictions. A lawyer can be classified as an advocate, attorney, barrister, canon lawyer, civil law notary, counsel, counselor, solic ...

and advised Theodore Ellis and associates on the legal matters, and was on the board of directors. In a period of economic decline, Masse was still able to convince A. B. Leach and Company of New York to endorse the project. Thereafter, A. B. Leach hired Masse to sell bonds. Masse arranged a trip for 200 northern bankers to come south and survey the site. Masse hired a private train car for the trip to Macon. After taking the bankers on a tour of the city, Masse took them to the dam site. There he hosted a

barbecue Barbecue or barbeque (informally BBQ in the UK, US, and Canada, barbie in Australia and braai in South Africa) is a term used with significant regional and national variations to describe various cooking methods that use live fire and smoke t ...

consisting of 14

pig The pig (''Sus domesticus''), often called swine, hog, or domestic pig when distinguishing from other members of the genus '' Sus'', is an omnivorous, domesticated, even-toed, hoofed mammal. It is variously considered a subspecies of ''Sus s ...

s. The bankers were then shown the

dam A dam is a barrier that stops or restricts the flow of surface water or underground streams. Reservoirs created by dams not only suppress floods but also provide water for activities such as irrigation, human consumption, industrial use, a ...

site where the Lane Brothers were pouring the

concrete Concrete is a composite material composed of fine and coarse aggregate bonded together with a fluid cement (cement paste) that hardens (cures) over time. Concrete is the second-most-used substance in the world after water, and is the most wi ...

foundation, on funds already acquired. James I. Buchanan of the Pittsburgh Trust Company was the first banker to commit to the project. Most of the other bankers soon followed. Among the notable investors was a representative for the Bank of Scotland and the son of the English Viscount of Weymouth. After the necessary funds were acquired, the power company hired David W. Hilliard to supervise the construction of the multimillion-dollar project. There were two shifts of hundreds of men, with the second shift working through the night. By this point, the power company had constructed wooden cabins for the workers to live in. The main concern for the construction was how to get the supplies to the building site. In 1911, the Lloyd Shoals Dam project was completed at 100 feet tall and 1,070 feet of concrete masonry. Transmission lines were erected to extend power to substations in Macon,

Forsyth Forsyth may refer to: Places Oceania * Forsyth Island, Queensland, Australia, one of the West Wellesley Islands (aka Forsyth Islands) * Forsyth Island, Tasmania, Australia * Forsyth Island (New Zealand), in the outer Marlborough Sounds of South I ...

Griffin The griffin, griffon, or gryphon (Ancient Greek: , ''gryps''; Classical Latin: ''grȳps'' or ''grȳpus''; Late Latin, Late and Medieval Latin: ''gryphes'', ''grypho'' etc.; Old French: ''griffon'') is a legendary creature with the body, tail ...

, Barnesville, rural Bibb County, and extending to Jackson. The basin was slow to fill, creating pools of stagnant water favorable to the growth of mosquitoes. This, in turn, led to an outbreak of malaria which drove away additional locals who had not initially been displaced by the project. Even after the lake filled to full pool, and for some time thereafter, it was red and muddy from erosion along the clay shoreline. The electrification of Jackson, and rural Butts County led to economic expansion when new industry was attracted to the area. Among the new businesses were several soft drink bottling plants and the Jackson Ice Corporation (1920). Then, it had four 2,400

kilowatts The watt (symbol: W) is the unit of power or radiant flux in the International System of Units (SI), equal to 1 joule per second or 1 kg⋅m2⋅s−3. It is used to quantify the rate of energy transfer. The watt is named after James Wa ...

generation units. In 1916, a fifth unit generating 2,400 kilowatts was added, and a year later a sixth unit generating 2,400 kilowatts was added. With all six units operational, it can have an output of 14,400 kilowatts. Because of improvements since then, it now can generate up to 21,000 kilowatts. In 1928,

Georgia Power Georgia Power is an electric utility headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. It was established as the Georgia Railway and Power Company and began operations in 1902 running streetcars in Atlanta as a successor to the Atlanta Consolida ...

bought out the Central Georgia Power Company, along with several other

utilities A public utility company (usually just utility) is an organization that maintains the infrastructure for a public service (often also providing a service using that infrastructure). Public utilities are subject to forms of public control and r ...

in the area. The first few years after Georgia Power acquired the facility, it had a staff for generating and maintenance, as well as a superintendent. Eventually, the muddy lake cleared and became a local attraction and recreation site with numerous fish camps located along its shores. It became part of the Central Georgia Power Group in 1978. It is the only member of that group located on the

Ocmulgee River The Ocmulgee River () is a western tributary of the Altamaha River, approximately 255 mi (410 km) long, in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the westernmost major tributary of the Altamaha.Wallace Dam Wallace may refer to: People * Clan Wallace in Scotland * Wallace (given name) * Wallace (surname) * Wallace (footballer, born 1986), full name Wallace Fernando Pereira, Brazilian football left-back * Wallace (footballer, born 1987), full name Wa ...

Recreation

Fishing

There are several species of fish in Jackson Lake, including white catfish,

bullhead catfish ''Ameiurus'' is a genus of catfishes in the family Ictaluridae. It contains the three common types of bullhead catfish found in waters of the United States, the black bullhead (''Ameiurus melas''), the brown bullhead (''Ameiurus nebulosus''), a ...

channel catfish The channel catfish (''Ictalurus punctatus'') is North America's most numerous catfish species. It is the official fish of Kansas, Missouri, Iowa, Nebraska, and Tennessee, and is informally referred to as a "channel cat". In the United States, the ...

, blue catfish,

black crappie The black crappie (''Pomoxis nigromaculatus'') is a freshwater fish found in North America, one of the two types of crappies. It is very similar to the white crappie in size, shape, and habits, except that it is darker, with a pattern of black sp ...

white crappie The white crappie (''Pomoxis annularis'') is a freshwater fish found in North America, one of the two species of crappies. Alternate common names for the species include goldring and silver perch. is named for the fish. The genus name ''Pomoxis ...

redear sunfish The redear sunfish (''Lepomis microlophus''), also known as the shellcracker, Georgia bream, cherry gill, chinquapin, improved bream, rouge ear sunfish and sun perch) is a freshwater fish in the family Centrarchidae and is native to the southeast ...

, redbreast sunfish,

bluegill The bluegill (''Lepomis macrochirus''), sometimes referred to as "bream", "brim", "sunny", or "copper nose" as is common in Texas, is a species of North American freshwater fish, native to and commonly found in streams, rivers, lakes, ponds and ...

, spotted bass,

largemouth bass The largemouth bass (''Micropterus salmoides'') is a carnivorous freshwater gamefish in the Centrarchidae ( sunfish) family, a species of black bass native to the eastern and central United States, southeastern Canada and northern Mexico, but ...

striped bass The striped bass (''Morone saxatilis''), also called the Atlantic striped bass, striper, linesider, rock, or rockfish, is an anadromous perciform fish of the family Moronidae found primarily along the Atlantic coast of North America. It has al ...

, and hybrid bass.

References

External links

* at GNIS {{DEFAULTSORT:Jackson Protected areas of Butts County, Georgia Protected areas of Jasper County, Georgia Protected areas of Newton County, Georgia Reservoirs in Georgia (U.S. state) Dams in Georgia (U.S. state) Georgia Power dams Bodies of water of Butts County, Georgia Bodies of water of Jasper County, Georgia Bodies of water of Newton County, Georgia