Branched Oak State Recreation Area (SRA) is a Nebraska state recreation area located 2.5 miles north of

Malcolm, Nebraska Malcolm is a village in Lancaster County, Nebraska, Lancaster County, Nebraska, United States. It is part of the Lincoln, Nebraska Lincoln, Nebraska metropolitan area, Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 382 at the 2010 United States ...

(northwest of

Lincoln Lincoln most commonly refers to: * Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865), the sixteenth president of the United States * Lincoln, England, cathedral city and county town of Lincolnshire, England * Lincoln, Nebraska, the capital of Nebraska, U.S. * Lincol ...

) in Lancaster County. The lake is the largest of the Salt Valley Lakes with of water in a park.

History

Branched Oak Lake was formerly the site of the village of Crounse, Nebraska. Crounse was named in honor of

Lorenzo Crounse Lorenzo Crounse (January 27, 1834May 13, 1909) was a Nebraska Republican politician and the eighth Governor of Nebraska. Early life Born in Sharon in Schoharie County, New York, Crounse attended the New York Conference Seminary in Charl ...

, a former governor, State Supreme Court Justice, and congressman of Nebraska. Branched Oak Lake was created as part of the Salt Valley Lakes flood control project to prevent Salt Creek from flooding the nearby city of

. The Crounse school closed in 1962, and most residents moved away by 1966. The area was flooded in 1967 and the project was finished eighteen months later in 1968. Today a historical marker can be found at Area 6 of the recreation area marking the location of the former village. The marker was donated by several Crounse residents and placed in conjunction with the Nebraska State Historical Society. The text of the historical marker reads:

''Crounse was once a small village named for Lorenzo Crounse, Nebraska Supreme Court justice (1867-73), congressman (1873-77) and governor (1893-95). The village had a school (1870-1962), post office (1873-1901), church, general store and creamery. Crounse School was the hub of the community. Classes met in homes until the schoolhouse was built on this site in 1873. Activities included picnics, bazaars, 4-H, and ball games. After the school closed in 1962, memories were all that remained of the community.''

Description

Branched Oak State Recreation Area features two beaches for swimming, both modern and primitive campsites, and trails for hikers or equestrians. The park also offers hunting, a shooting range, and an archery range. The marina—located in the northeast part of the lake—offers boat rentals, fuel, concessions, bait, and a restaurant, The Boat House Bar and Grill. The lake is stocked with

blue Blue is one of the three primary colours in the RYB colour model (traditional colour theory), as well as in the RGB (additive) colour model. It lies between violet and cyan on the spectrum of visible light. The eye perceives blue when ...

, channel, and

flathead catfish The flathead catfish (''Pylodictis olivaris''), also called by several common names including mudcat or shovelhead cat, is a large species of North American freshwater catfish in the family Ictaluridae. It is the only species of the genus '' ...

;

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' ...

;

walleye The walleye (''Sander vitreus'', synonym ''Stizostedion vitreum''), also called the yellow pike or yellow pickerel, is a freshwater perciform fish native to most of Canada and to the Northern United States. It is a North American close relat ...

;

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 an ...

; wipers and

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, ...

. File:Branched Oak Lake dam 1.JPG, Branched Oak Lake dam, seen from the south File:Branched Oak Lake from dam 1.JPG, Branched Oak Lake as seen from the dam File:Branched Oak Lake marina 2.JPG, Branched Oak Lake marina File:Branched Oak Lake marina 3.JPG, Branched Oak Lake marina File:Branched Oak Lake marina breakwall 1.JPG, Branched Oak Lake marina breakwall

References

External links

Branched Oak State Recreation Area - Nebraska Game & Parks Commission
Protected areas of Lancaster County, Nebraska State parks of Nebraska Ghost towns in Nebraska Bodies of water of Lancaster County, Nebraska {{LancasterCountyNE-geo-stub

History

Description

See also

References

External links