Possum Kingdom Lake (popularly known as P.K.), is a reservoir on the

Brazos River The Brazos River ( , ), called the ''Río de los Brazos de Dios'' (translated as "The River of the Arms of God") by early Spanish explorers, is the 14th-longest river in the United States at from its headwater source at the head of Blackwater ...

located primarily in

Palo Pinto County Palo Pinto County is a County (United States), county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, its population was 28,409. The county seat is Palo Pinto, Texas, Palo Pinto. The county was created in 1 ...

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

. It was the first water supply reservoir constructed in the Brazos River basin. The lake has an area of approximately with of shoreline. It holds of water with available for water supply. Morrisshepparddam

The lake is impounded by the Morris Sheppard Dam, which was a project of the

Brazos River Authority The Brazos River Authority or BRA was created in 1929 by the Texas Legislature as a quasi-governmental entity to manage the Brazos River as a water resource in Texas. It was originally named the Brazos River Conservation and Reclamation Distric ...

and the

Works Progress Administration The Works Progress Administration (WPA; from 1935 to 1939, then known as the Work Projects Administration from 1939 to 1943) was an American New Deal agency that employed millions of jobseekers (mostly men who were not formally educated) to car ...

. Construction was begun in 1936 and completed in 1941. The dam is long and high. The construction is unique with buttressed arched wings on either side of the nine

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 ...

gates rather than the usual filled concrete. It has two 11,250 kilowatt generators which were used during peak demand periods that are no longer in use. It was named after United States senator

Morris Sheppard John Morris Sheppard (May 28, 1875April 9, 1941) was a Democratic United States Congressman and United States Senator from Texas. He authored the Eighteenth Amendment (Prohibition) and introduced it in the Senate, and is referred to as "the f ...

for his efforts in obtaining funding for the project. The lake is located where the Brazos River cuts through the Palo Pinto Hills. The canyon thus formed provided a favorable site for impoundment of the reservoir and accounts for the unusual depth of the lake and the resulting clarity of the water. There are several stories about the origin of the name ''Possum Kingdom'' for this part of the Brazos River valley. The most accepted version attributes the name to Ike Sablosky who settled in the region in the early twentieth century. Sablosky was a businessman, a Russian Jewish immigrant who came to America at the age of 13. He arrived in

Mineral Wells, Texas Mineral Wells is a city in Palo Pinto County, Texas, Palo Pinto and Parker County, Texas, Parker Counties in the U.S. state of Texas. The population was 14,820 at the 2020 census. The city is named for mineral wells in the area, which were highly ...

from Indianapolis in 1905. Sablosky was suffering from stomach trouble and believed he was dying. Mineral Wells was then nationally famous as a health spa and Sablosky offered an employee of one of the spa hotels ten cents a day for ten days to be allowed to drink all of the mineral water he wanted. The employee accepted and Sablosky claimed that within ten days his stomach problems were cured. Sablosky then went into the fur and hide business, dealing in, among other things, possum pelts. His best suppliers of these hunted in the canyon of the Brazos and Sablosky began greeting them by saying, "Here are the boys from the Possum Kingdom." Sablosky went on to be a prominent businessman in Dallas. Before his death he left millions of dollars to charity. The lake is home to the famous

Hell's Gate Hells Gate, Hell's Gate, Hell Gate or Hells Gates may refer to: Places Africa * Hell's Gate National Park, Kenya Antarctica * Hells Gate (Antarctica), Victoria Land * Hells Gate Moraine, Victoria Land Asia * Nyalam Town, Tibet * A location in N ...

, a sheer break in the cliffs around the lake. The lake's name was the title of a popular 1990s song " Possum Kingdom" by

The Toadies Toadies are an American Rock music, rock band formed in 1989 in Fort Worth, Texas, Fort Worth, Texas, best known for the song "Possum Kingdom (song), Possum Kingdom". The band's classic lineup consisted of Vaden Todd Lewis (lead vocals, rhythm ...

. The lake is home to

Possum Kingdom State Park Possum Kingdom State Park is a state park in Palo Pinto County, Texas, USA, that was built in the 1940s by Civilian Conservation Corps Company 2888 and opened to the public in 1950. It covers approximately , and lies in the Palo Pinto Mountains ...

, a state park governed by the

Texas Parks and Wildlife Department The Texas Parks & Wildlife Department (TPWD) is a Texas state agency that oversees and protects wildlife and their habitat (ecology), habitats. In addition, the agency is responsible for managing the state park, state's parks and historical ar ...

. Visitors, avid boaters, and anglers interested in exploring the lake can also utilize local marinas such a
Bluff Creek Marina.
The Possum Kingdom Lake area suffered major wildfires in 2011 during a severe drought, first in April with 160 homes destroyed and again in August–September with 39 homes and 9 recreational vehicles lost. The cause of the second 2011 fire was an electrical spark on the 101 Ranch. The first week of August 2012 brought more wildfires to the PK vicinity (between the dam & Graford) which were possibly ignited by lightning strikes amid the extremely drought-ridden countryside. Texas Governor Perry authorized the Texas military forces to assist in battling them. Several Chinook helicopters were assigned to the Palo Pinto county efforts. The fires were brought under control over a period of days & nights. The lake was originally at the level of the cliffs resort which caused the massive C-shaped ridges in the side walls of the shore.

References

External links

Possum Kingdom Online CommunityPK lake 2011 FIRES webpageApril 2011 Fires
as reported by Pondera Properties (PonderaPK) at Possum Kingdom Lake. This was the most comprehensive minute-by-minute report of days of fire coverage. It was provided as a community service from a local business at Possum Kingdom Lake and the report itself (a/k/a the "fire blog") was followed by thousands of people and received media attention as a result.
Page 184, Tolbert of Texas: The Man and His Work - How Possum Kingdom got its name
{{authority control Reservoirs in Texas Brazos River Authority Bodies of water of Palo Pinto County, Texas Bodies of water of Stephens County, Texas Bodies of water of Young County, Texas Protected areas of Palo Pinto County, Texas Protected areas of Stephens County, Texas Protected areas of Young County, Texas Works Progress Administration in Texas