Lake Barkley
Encyclopedia
Reservoir
A reservoir , artificial lake or dam is used to store water.Reservoirs may be created in river valleys by the construction of a dam or may be built by excavation in the ground or by conventional construction techniques such as brickwork or cast concrete.The term reservoir may also be used to...
in Livingston
Livingston County, Kentucky
Livingston County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of 2000, the population was 9,804. Its county seat is Smithland. The county is named for Robert R. Livingston...
, Lyon
Lyon County, Kentucky
Lyon County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of 2000, the population was 8,080. Its county seat is Eddyville. Created from Caldwell County, Kentucky in 1854, the county was named for former Congressman Chittenden Lyon....
, and Trigg
Trigg County, Kentucky
Trigg County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. It was formed in 1820. As of 2000, the population was 12,597. Its county seat is Cadiz. The county is named for Stephen Trigg, a frontier officer in the American Revolutionary War who died in the Battle of Blue Licks...
counties in Kentucky
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
and extending into Stewart and Houston counties in Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
, was impounded by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in 1966 upon the completion of Barkley Dam
Barkley Dam
Barkley Dam is a dam along the Cumberland River in Kentucky. Its construction, along with Kentucky Dam formed the Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area by stopping the flow of the Cumberland and Tennessee Rivers, forming Lake Barkley and Kentucky Lake respectively.The dam and artificial...
. Both the lake and the dam are named for Vice President
Vice President of the United States
The Vice President of the United States is the holder of a public office created by the United States Constitution. The Vice President, together with the President of the United States, is indirectly elected by the people, through the Electoral College, to a four-year term...
Alben Barkley, a Kentucky native. The dam impounds the Cumberland River
Cumberland River
The Cumberland River is a waterway in the Southern United States. It is long. It starts in Harlan County in far southeastern Kentucky between Pine and Cumberland mountains, flows through southern Kentucky, crosses into northern Tennessee, and then curves back up into western Kentucky before...
near Grand Rivers, Kentucky
Grand Rivers, Kentucky
Grand Rivers is a city in Livingston County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 343 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Paducah, KY-IL Micropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:Grand Rivers is located at ....
, approximately 38 miles (61 km) upstream from where the Cumberland empties into the Ohio River
Ohio River
The Ohio River is the largest tributary, by volume, of the Mississippi River. At the confluence, the Ohio is even bigger than the Mississippi and, thus, is hydrologically the main stream of the whole river system, including the Allegheny River further upstream...
. One mile (1.6 km) above the dam is a canal connecting Lake Barkley with Kentucky Lake
Kentucky Lake
Kentucky Lake is a major navigable reservoir along the Tennessee River in Kentucky and Tennessee. Created in 1944 by the Tennessee Valley Authority's impounding of the Tennessee River by Kentucky Dam, the lake is the largest artificial lake by surface area in the United States east of the...
, forming one of the greatest freshwater recreational complexes in the country. The lakes run parallel courses for more than 50 miles (80 km), with the Land Between The Lakes National Recreation Area
Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area
The Land Between The Lakes National Recreation Area is a United States National Recreation Area located in Kentucky and Tennessee between Lake Barkley and Kentucky Lake. The area was designated a national recreation area by President John F. Kennedy in 1963...
located between them.
Lake Barkley is 134 miles (216 km) long with a shoreline measuring 1,004 miles (1,616 km). The lake's level is maintained at different levels throughout the year for flood control purposes. Summer pool, 359 ft (109 m) above sea level
Above mean sea level
The term above mean sea level refers to the elevation or altitude of any object, relative to the average sea level datum. AMSL is used extensively in radio by engineers to determine the coverage area a station will be able to reach...
, is normally reached by May 1. The water level begins dropping gradually on July 1, and winter pool (354 ft/107 m) is reached by December 1. The spring rise starts April 1. The lake's water surface area varies accordingly from 57,920 acres (234 km²) at summer pool to 45,210 acres (183 km²) at winter pool.
History
As with the formation of Kentucky LakeKentucky Lake
Kentucky Lake is a major navigable reservoir along the Tennessee River in Kentucky and Tennessee. Created in 1944 by the Tennessee Valley Authority's impounding of the Tennessee River by Kentucky Dam, the lake is the largest artificial lake by surface area in the United States east of the...
, communities were flooded in the 1960s to build Lake Barkley. You may hear someone refer to Eddyville
Eddyville, Kentucky
Eddyville is a city in Lyon County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 2,350 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Lyon County . The Kentucky State Penitentiary is located in Eddyville.-History:...
and "Old Eddyville", as well as Kuttawa
Kuttawa, Kentucky
Kuttawa is a city in Lyon County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 596 at the 2000 census.- History :Lake Barkley was formed in the early 1960s when a dam was constructed on the Cumberland at Grand Rivers. Two communities with a combined population of 3500 rested on the banks of the...
and "Old Kuttawa". The "Old" areas were the portions of the cities that were left above the water after the areas were flooded; these old areas are now lakefront. The present-day cities were created after the lake was formed. Old foundations and streets, previously flooded, are still visible during winter pool. Highways were even relocated, including US 68 and US 62, along with state routes and smaller streets. The Illinois Central Railroad
Illinois Central Railroad
The Illinois Central Railroad , sometimes called the Main Line of Mid-America, is a railroad in the central United States, with its primary routes connecting Chicago, Illinois with New Orleans, Louisiana and Birmingham, Alabama. A line also connected Chicago with Sioux City, Iowa...
was relocated and can still be seen under water from low flying planes above.
Recreation
Lake Barkley State Resort ParkLake Barkley State Resort Park
Lake Barkley State Resort Park is a park located on the eastern shore of Lake Barkley just west of Cadiz, Kentucky in Trigg County. The park encompasses , and is one of three Kentucky parks located on Land Between the Lakes, a 170,000-acre isthmus between Kentucky Lake and Lake Barkley.-References:...
is located on the eastern shore of the lake.
The largest yellow bass
Yellow bass
The yellow bass or barfish, Morone mississippiensis, is a freshwater fish native to the south and midwestern United States. Though sometimes confused with white bass or striped bass, it is distinguished by its yellow belly and the broken pattern in its lowermost stripes...
ever taken in Kentucky (1 lb., 1 oz.) was caught in the waters of Lake Barkley.
See also
- Lake Barkley State Resort ParkLake Barkley State Resort ParkLake Barkley State Resort Park is a park located on the eastern shore of Lake Barkley just west of Cadiz, Kentucky in Trigg County. The park encompasses , and is one of three Kentucky parks located on Land Between the Lakes, a 170,000-acre isthmus between Kentucky Lake and Lake Barkley.-References:...
- Land Between The Lakes National Recreation AreaLand Between the Lakes National Recreation AreaThe Land Between The Lakes National Recreation Area is a United States National Recreation Area located in Kentucky and Tennessee between Lake Barkley and Kentucky Lake. The area was designated a national recreation area by President John F. Kennedy in 1963...
External links
- LakeBarkley.org Official web site of Lake Barkley
- Lake Barkley – U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
- KentuckyLake.com Lake Barkley, Kentucky Lake & Land Between the Lakes Information
- Facilities map of Lake Barkley (Kentucky side)