The Daily Feather — Red River Be Dammed
It’s just about time to get on the road. Headed back to Dallas tomorrow, QI will cross the Red River for the third time in 10 days. It was only the first of the three that trailed through the state of Oklahoma, however. Noting the ubiquity of speedboats as the Texas border was approached from the north, Danielle began to wonder if the Red River was bigger than she’d thought. As things turned out, it was the damming of the Red River that was the draw. In 1944, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers impounded Lake Texoma to control Red River flooding and created the Denison Dam in the process. Because it’s government owned, there is no lake frontage private property ownership. The 580 miles of shoreline are thus pristine, providing the perfect environment for the multitudes of migratory birds that flock to the Hagerman Wildlife Reserve. And the Striped Bass (record holder is 35.12 pounds!) and Sand Bass fishing is second to none. Only 75 miles and 1 ½ hours north of Dallas, about 80% of the lake’s 90,000 acres is located in Oklahoma. Yes, Lake Texoma is massive, the 12th largest manmade reservoir in the nation.
As you can see in the mega-table we share with our Feather readers for the first time today, aside from Kansas, which we featured in a recent Quill, Oklahoma is also the other last state standing.