Lake Wister 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 contro ...

Le Flore County LeFlore County is a county along the eastern border of the U.S state of Oklahoma. As of the 2010 census, the population was 50,384. Its county seat is Poteau. The county is part of the Fort Smith metropolitan area and the name honors a Choct ...

, in southeast

Oklahoma Oklahoma (; Choctaw language, Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the nor ...

.Crain, Harold. ''Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture''. "Wister

The lake is created by the

Poteau River The Poteau River is a 141-mile (227 km)U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed June 3, 2011 long river located in the U.S. states of Arkansas and Oklahoma. It is the only riv ...

and the

Fourche Maline Fourche Maline (pronounced foosh-ma-lean) (''Bad Fork'', French) is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed June 3, 2011 tributary of the Poteau River in Oklahoma. The headwater ...

creek. Wister Lake was authorized for flood control and conservation by the Flood Control Act of 1938. The project was designed and built by the Tulsa District Corps of Engineers. Construction began in April 1946, and the project was placed in full flood control operation in December 194

History

Lake Wister was authorized for flood control and conservation by the Flood Control Act of 1938. The project was designed and built by the Tulsa District Corps of Engineers at a cost of $10.5 million. Construction began in April 1946, and the project was placed in full flood control operation December 1949. It is now part of

Lake Wister State Park Lake Wister State Park is a Oklahoma state park located in Le Flore County, Oklahoma. It is located near the city of Wister, Oklahoma. Lake Wister State Park, in southeast Oklahoma, is a gateway to the beautiful Ouachita National Forest. The ...

. The lake is named for the nearby city of

Wister, Oklahoma Wister is a town in Le Flore County, Oklahoma, United States. It is part of the Fort Smith metropolitan area. The population was 1,102 at the 2010 census. Wister is named for Gutman G. Wister, an official with the Choctaw, Oklahoma and Gulf Railro ...

. Other nearby cities are Heavener and Poteau.TravelOK. "Lake Wister State Park."
Retrieved February 5, 2014. The area around the lake has been inhabited for thousands of years. There are numerous mounds in the area that were created by prehistoric Native Americans. During territorial times the area was located in Sugar Loaf County, one of the counties making up the

Moshulatubbee District Moshulatubbee District was one of three administrative super-regions comprising the former Choctaw Nation in the Indian Territory. Also called the First District, it encompassed the northern one-third of the nation. In some historic records it is ...

in the

Choctaw Nation The Choctaw Nation ( Choctaw: ''Chahta Okla'') is a Native American territory covering about , occupying portions of southeastern Oklahoma in the United States. The Choctaw Nation is the third-largest federally recognized tribe in the United ...

Description

The lake has a surface area of and a shoreline of about . The normal elevation is 478 feet, minimum elevation is 450 feet and the maximum is 503 feet. Design volume of water is 61423 acre-ft. It drains an area of 993 square miles.Lakelubbers.com "Lake Wister, Oklahoma, USA."
Retrieved February 5, 2014.

References

External links

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers: Wister LakeU.S. Army Corps of Engineers: Corps Lake GatewayLake Wister State Park

Oklahoma Digital Maps: Digital Collections of Oklahoma and Indian Territory
{{authority control Protected areas of Le Flore County, Oklahoma Wister Dams in Oklahoma United States Army Corps of Engineers dams Bodies of water of Le Flore County, Oklahoma Dams completed in 1949 1949 establishments in Oklahoma