Longview Lake is a freshwater

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 ...

in parts of Kansas City,

Lee's Summit Lee's Summit is a city located within the counties of Jackson (primarily) and Cass in the U.S. state of Missouri. It is a suburb of Kansas City, Missouri. As of the 2020 census its population was 101,108, making it the sixth-largest city in both ...

, and Grandview, all in Jackson County,

Missouri Missouri is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee): Iowa to the north, Illinois, Kentucky and Tennessee to the east, Arkansas t ...

. The reservoir is part of

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers , colors = , anniversaries = 16 June (Organization Day) , battles = , battles_label = Wars , website = , commander1 = ...

Little Blue River Project for

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 ...

, recreation, and fish and

wildlife conservation Wildlife conservation refers to the practice of protecting wild species and their habitats in order to maintain healthy wildlife species or populations and to restore, protect or enhance natural ecosystems. Major threats to wildlife include habita ...

. The lake is located in the Longview Lake Park, which is managed by Jackson County Parks and Recreation.

History

The Little Blue River Project was authorized by the

U.S. Congress The United States Congress is the legislature of the federal government of the United States. It is bicameral, composed of a lower body, the House of Representatives, and an upper body, the Senate. It meets in the U.S. Capitol in Washin ...

in 1968. Thereafter the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers purchased a portion of

Longview Farm Longview Farm in Lee's Summit, Missouri, United States was built by Robert A. Long. In planning the farm Long turned to Henry F. Hoit of Hoit, Price and Barnes, as he had designed Corinthian Hall and the R.A. Long Building. George Kessler w ...

, a location once known as ''The World's Most Beautiful Farm.'' Construction on the Longview Dam began in 1979 and was completed in 1985. The park opened in 1986, and draws an average of one million visitors per year.

Activities

Longview Lake offers a variety of water recreation activities: *Boating: Power boating, jet skis and similar

personal water craft A personal watercraft (PWC), also called water scooter or jet ski, is a recreational watercraft that a rider sits or stands on, not within, as in a boat. PWCs have two style categories, first and most popular being a runabout or "sit down" whe ...

are allowed on the lake. A full-service marina is available for concessions, fuel, fishing supplies, and slip rental. *Fishing: Longview Lake is stocked with a wide variety of fish species to please anglers. They include bluegill,

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, bu ...

, carp, channel catfish, crappie, and walleye. *Swimming beach: A full acre of sand makes for plenty of room to sunbathe, join in a game of beach volleyball, or enjoy the water. The surrounding Longview Lake Park presents opportunities for camping,

golf Golf is a club-and-ball sport in which players use various clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a course in as few strokes as possible. Golf, unlike most ball games, cannot and does not use a standardized playing area, and coping ...

, softball, equestrian activities, picnicking, hiking and biking, and

radio-controlled aircraft A radio-controlled aircraft (often called RC aircraft or RC plane) is a small flying machine that is controlled remotely by an operator on the ground using a hand-held radio transmitter. The transmitter continuously communicates with a receiver ...

flying. A popular seasonal activity is "Christmas in the Park". Over 300,000 bulbs and 175 animated figures set a festive holiday mood in a free drive-through. The event, first held in 1988, draws an estimated 200,000 visitors each holiday season.

Around the lake

File:Longview Lake MO 1.JPG, Beach volleyball is a popular activity at Longview Lake. File:Longview Lake MO 2.JPG, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers dam at Longview Lake. File:Longview Lake MO 3.JPG, An unusual sight in a large urban area like Kansas City, these American bald eagles have made a home.

History

Activities

Around the lake

References

See also