In 1952, Lake Eucha in Delaware County, Oklahoma

Delaware County, Oklahoma

Delaware County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. As of 2000, the population was 37,077 and the newest population estimate is 45,000. Its county seat is Jay. The county was named for the Delaware Indians resettled in what was then Indian Territory in the 1830s. .Delaware County...

, was created by completion of the Eucha dam on Spavinaw Creek. The nearest town is Jay, Oklahoma

Jay, Oklahoma

Jay is a city in Delaware County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 2,448 at the 2010 census, compared to 2,482 at the 2000 census, a decrease of 1.4 percent. Almost 40% of Jay residents are Native American...

. This lake is owned by the City of Tulsa, Oklahoma

Tulsa, Oklahoma

Tulsa is the second-largest city in the state of Oklahoma and 46th-largest city in the United States. With a population of 391,906 as of the 2010 census, it is the principal municipality of the Tulsa Metropolitan Area, a region with 937,478 residents in the MSA and 988,454 in the CSA. Tulsa's...

 and functions as additional storage and as a buffer for Lake Spavinaw, which is the principal municipal water source for Tulsa.

Description

The lake is 8.5 miles long by 0.7 miles (1.1 km) wide. with a storage capacity of 80000 acre.ft. Its surface area is 2800 acres and the shoreline is about 50 mi.The dam elevation is 778 ft and is 2100 foot (0.64008 km) long.

The Cherokee community of Eucha, Oklahoma

Eucha, Oklahoma

Eucha is a small rural community located in Delaware County, Oklahoma, north of Lake Eucha. The Eucha Post Office was established November 20, 1900, in District 5 of the old Indian Territory. The community was named for Charles Thomas , principal chief of the Cherokees. Eucha, well known for its...

 was relocated to higher ground before the dam was constructed, because the lake waters were to submerge the original townsite.

Lake Eucha is also a popular place for fishing.

W. R. Holway

W. R. Holway

William Rea Holway , commonly known as W. R. Holway, was an American civil engineer who became prominent in Oklahoma. He is best known for his work on major water supply projects for the city of Tulsa, and on the Pensacola Dam at Grand Lake o' the Cherokees.Holway came to Tulsa in 1918, where he...

is credited with the design and construction of both projects.