Lake Keomah State Park is a

state park State parks are parks or other protected areas managed at the sub-national level within those nations which use "state" as a political subdivision. State parks are typically established by a state to preserve a location on account of its natural ...

Iowa Iowa () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wisconsin to the northeast, Illinois to the ...

, USA. It is in

Mahaska County Mahaska County is a county located in the U.S. state of Iowa. As of the 2020 census, the population was 22,190. The county seat is Oskaloosa. Mahaska County comprises the Oskaloosa, IA Micropolitan Statistical Area. History Mahaska County ...

. To the park's immediate east is Keomah Village and the park is approximately east of Oskaloosa. Lake Keomah State Park is a state park that surrounds and includes Lake Keomah. Lake Keomah is an

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 ...

Etymology and history

Lake Keomah State Park was financed by Keokuk and Mahaska counties. "Keomah" is a

portmanteau A portmanteau word, or portmanteau (, ) is a blend of wordsCivilian Conservation Corps The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) was a voluntary government work relief program that ran from 1933 to 1942 in the United States for unemployed, unmarried men ages 18–25 and eventually expanded to ages 17–28. The CCC was a major part of ...

(CCC) Company 776 arrived in Oskaloosa on June 3, 1933 and began work on Lake Keomah. It is the first man-made lake in the State of

. After the dam and

spillway A spillway is a structure used to provide the controlled release of water downstream from a dam or levee, typically into the riverbed of the dammed river itself. In the United Kingdom, they may be known as overflow channels. Spillways ensure tha ...

were completed in October 1934, they turned their attention to soil erosion control and then constructing the various facilities. Although incomplete, the park was dedicated in 1934. At the time it was a park that grew to its current size in 1942. By May 1935 work had begun on the beach, and the first meals were served in the lodge on June 26, 1936. The CCC ended its work in the park in 1937. The Original spillway was replaced in 1965.

Historic Districts

In 1990 two areas of the park were set aside as nationally recognized

historic districts A historic district or heritage district is a section of a city which contains older buildings considered valuable for historical or architectural reasons. In some countries or jurisdictions, historic districts receive legal protection from cer ...

listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

. They are both part of a larger study of Iowa's state parks called the .

Lake Keomah State Park, Bathhouse-Lodge Area (Area A)

Area A contains four historic resources that includes the lodge, bathhouse, two latrines, and the road. The buildings were designed in the

rustic Rustic may refer to: *Rural area *Pastoral Architecture * Rustication (architecture), a masonry technique mainly employed in Renaissance architecture * Rustic architecture, an informal architectural style in the United States and Canada with sever ...

style by the Central Design Office in

Ames Ames may refer to: Places United States * Ames, Arkansas, a place in Arkansas * Ames, Colorado * Ames, Illinois * Ames, Indiana * Ames, Iowa, the most populous city bearing this name * Ames, Kansas * Ames, Nebraska * Ames, New York * Ames, Oklah ...

. They are all single story, stone structures with timber roof framing. The latrines were converted into storage facilities. A boathouse that protrudes from the base of the bathhouse was converted into a concession stand. And the bathhouse itself has been altered for a different purpose.

Lake Keomah State Park, Erosion Control Area (Area B)

Area B contains two

check dam A steel check dam A check dam is a small, sometimes temporary, dam constructed across a swale, drainage ditch, or waterway to counteract erosion by reducing water flow velocity. Check dams themselves are not a type of new technology; rather, the ...

s as its historical resources. They were built to control the flow of soil along a watershed. Each dam has an indentation in the center of its head that allows water to flow down the dam while slowing the movement of silt. They are located south of the main park road in a section of timber. The two dams are located apart, and are about in width and in length at the top. They are composed of twelve tiers of rubble limestone.

Land usage

Lake Keomah State Park has several facilities open for public usage. Picnic shelters and a lodge may be reserved for use. There are also two boat ramps, numerous campsites, trails, modern showers, restrooms, and an unsupervised beach.

References

External links

Lake Keomah State Park
{{authority control State parks of Iowa Protected areas established in 1934 Civilian Conservation Corps in Iowa Keomah Protected areas of Mahaska County, Iowa Bodies of water of Mahaska County, Iowa National Register of Historic Places in Mahaska County, Iowa Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Iowa Historic districts in Mahaska County, Iowa Park buildings and structures on the National Register of Historic Places in Iowa Rustic architecture in Iowa 1934 establishments in Iowa