Lake Seminole is a

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 contr ...

located in the southwest corner of

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

along its border with

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and ...

, maintained by the

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

. The Chattahoochee and

Flint Flint, occasionally flintstone, is a sedimentary cryptocrystalline form of the mineral quartz, categorized as the variety of chert that occurs in chalk or marly limestone. Flint was widely used historically to make stone tools and start ...

river A river is a natural flowing watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, sea, lake or another river. In some cases, a river flows into the ground and becomes dry at the end of its course without reaching another body of ...

s join in the lake, before flowing from the Jim Woodruff Lock and Dam, which impounds the lake, as the

Apalachicola River The Apalachicola River is a river, approximately 160 mi (180 km) long in the state of Florida. The river's large watershed, known as the ACF River Basin, drains an area of approximately into the Gulf of Mexico. The distance to its far ...

. The lake contains of water, and has a shoreline of .Lake Seminole page, main page, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers website The fish in Lake Seminole include

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, ...

crappie Crappies () are two species of North American freshwater fish of the genus ''Pomoxis'' in the family Centrarchidae (sunfishes). Both species of crappies are popular game fish among recreational anglers. Etymology The genus name ''Pomoxis' ...

chain pickerel The chain pickerel (''Esox niger'') is a species of freshwater fish in the pike family (family Esocidae) of order Esociformes. The chain pickerel and the American pickerel (''E. americanus'') belong to the ''Esox'' genus of pike. Taxonomy Fren ...

catfish Catfish (or catfishes; order Siluriformes or Nematognathi) are a diverse group of ray-finned fish. Named for their prominent barbels, which resemble a cat's whiskers, catfish range in size and behavior from the three largest species alive, ...

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 ...

and other species. American alligators,

snake Snakes are elongated, limbless, carnivorous reptiles of the suborder Serpentes . Like all other squamates, snakes are ectothermic, amniote vertebrates covered in overlapping scales. Many species of snakes have skulls with several more ...

s and various

waterfowl Anseriformes is an order of birds also known as waterfowl that comprises about 180 living species of birds in three families: Anhimidae (three species of screamers), Anseranatidae (the magpie goose), and Anatidae, the largest family, which ...

are also present in the lake, which is known for its goose hunting.FWCC: Waterfowl and coot season dates set (2007)

History

Authorized by the

United States Congress The United States Congress is the legislature of the federal government of the United States. It is Bicameralism, bicameral, composed of a lower body, the United States House of Representatives, House of Representatives, and an upper body, ...

in the Rivers and Harbors Act of 1946 as the Jim Woodruff Lock and Dam Project,U.S. Army Corps of Engineers: Corps Lakes Gateway construction began the following year. With the dam completed in 1952,Lakes Online: Lake Seminole in 1957 the lake was opened. The project was expected to cost $29 million USD,Palm Beach Post, 4 October 1947 but when completed had required $46.5 million USD. The lake is named after the Seminole Indians.

Jim Woodruff Dam

The Jim Woodruff Dam, located about south of the original confluence of the Chattahoochee River, Flint River and Spring Creek to form the Apalachicola RiverApalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint River System History page and with a spillway wide, is a

hydroelectric Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies one sixth of the world's electricity, almost 4500 TWh in 2020, which is more than all other renewable sources combined an ...

and navigational dam named in honor of James W. Woodruff, Sr., a

businessman who spearheaded the development of the Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint Project. The dam crosses the state line between Georgia and Florida, with the eastern end of the dam being located in Georgia and the majority, including the locks, gates, spillway, and the powerhouse all being within Florida, just 100 feet south of the southwest corner of Georgia.

Navigation

The Jim Woodruff Dam has a single lock, in length and wide, that provides navigational access to the lake and the upstream rivers from the Apalachicola River and

Gulf of Mexico The Gulf of Mexico ( es, Golfo de México) is an ocean basin and a marginal sea of the Atlantic Ocean, largely surrounded by the North American continent. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United ...

. Lake Seminole extends upstream along the Chattahoochee River for and up the Flint River for .Lake Seminole page, Information page, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers website

Parks

The

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

maintains 10 parks along the shore of the lake,Lake Seminole page, parks page, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers website with 35 parks in total available for recreation, including five campgrounds.Great Lakes in Georgia Seminole State Park covers of lakeshore in Georgia, while Three Rivers State Park covers of wetlandThree Rivers State Park brochure north of Sneads, Florida.

San Carlos de los Chacatos

The West Bank Overlook at the western end of the dam is the location of the Spanish mission San Carlos de los Chacatos, established in 1674 following a revolt by the Chacato.ARROW: History: Jackson CountyJackson County, Florida Historic Sites and Research site Used by both Marcos Delgado and Don

Laureano de Torres y Ayala Laureano de Torres y Ayala (1645–1722), Marquis of Casa Torres and Knight of Santiago, was a Spanish military officer and royal governor of '' La Florida'' (1693–1699) and of Cuba (1708–1711 and 1713–1716). During his administration in Flo ...

on their expeditions, the mission was attacked by

Alibamu The Alabama or Alibamu ( akz, Albaamaha) are a Southeastern culture people of Native Americans, originally from Alabama. They were members of the Muscogee Creek Confederacy, a loose trade and military organization of autonomous towns; their home ...

warriors in 1696, then later by British forces led by Colonel James Moore during Queen Anne's War and abandoned. Resettled during the

Creek War The Creek War (1813–1814), also known as the Red Stick War and the Creek Civil War, was a regional war between opposing Indigenous American Creek factions, European empires and the United States, taking place largely in modern-day Alabama ...

in 1813 by Uchee refugees, the site was abandoned again in 1818 during the

First Seminole War The Seminole Wars (also known as the Florida Wars) were three related military conflicts in Florida between the United States and the Seminole, citizens of a Native American nation which formed in the region during the early 1700s. Hostiliti ...

, and was not rediscovered until 1948 during

archaeological Archaeology or archeology is the scientific study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of artifacts, architecture, biofacts or ecofacts, sites, and cultural landscap ...

work by the Florida Park Service supporting the construction of Lake Seminole.

Fort Scott

Fort Scott was built in 1816 on the west bank of the Flint River, just before it empties into the Apalachicola. The intent was to protect what was then the southern border of the United States (the border between Georgia and Florida), subject to various types of invaders operating through or out of Spanish territory. The Fort was abandoned after Florida became a U.S. territory in 1821 and there was no longer a border to defend. The area around the site was flooded due to the creation of the lake, thus the land which the fort resided became an island.

Notes

Lake Seminole is known for its large bass fishing during summer months and duck hunting in the early winter. It has also been a location of preference for the well renowned Bassmasters.

References

;Notes ;Bibliography * * * * * * * * * * *

External links

Official mapShoreline of Florida's Pan-Handle, Jim Woodruff Lock and DamLake Seminole Resources
{{authority control ACF River Basin Borders of Georgia (U.S. state) Borders of Florida Protected areas of Decatur County, Georgia Protected areas of Gadsden County, Florida Seminole Protected areas of Jackson County, Florida Seminole Seminole Seminole Protected areas of Seminole County, Georgia Seminole Bodies of water of Decatur County, Georgia 1957 establishments in Florida 1957 establishments in Georgia (U.S. state)