Lake Seminole
Encyclopedia
Lake Seminole is a reservoir
located in the southwest corner of Georgia
along its border with Florida
, maintained by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The Chattahoochee
and Flint
river
s join in the lake, before flowing from the Jim Woodruff Lock and Dam
, which impounds the lake, as the Apalachicola River
. The lake contains 37500 acres (151.8 km²) of water, and has a shoreline of 376 mi (605.1 km). The fish in Lake Seminole include Largemouth bass
, crappie
, Chain pickerel
, catfish
, Striped bass
and other species. American Alligator
s, snake
s and various waterfowl
are also present in the lake, which is known for its goose hunting
.
in the Rivers and Harbors Act of 1946 as the Jim Woodruff Lock and Dam Project, construction begain the following year, with the dam being completed in 1952, and in 1957 the lake was opened. The project was expected to cost $29 million USD, but when completed had required the spending of $46.5 million USD.
businessman who spearheaded the development of the Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint Project.
The dam crosses the state line between Georgia and Florida, with the eastern end of the dam being located in Georgia.
. Lake Seminole extends upstream along the Chattahoochee River for 30 miles (48.3 km) and up the Flint River for 35 miles (56.3 km).
covers 604 acres (244.4 ha) of lakeshore in Georgia, while Three Rivers State Park covers 686 acres (277.6 ha) of wetland north of Sneads, Florida
.
San Carlos de los Chacatos, established in 1674 following a revolt by the Chacato
. Used by both Marcos Delgado and Don Laureano de Torres y Ayala on their expeditions, the mission was attacked by Alibamo warriors in 1696, then later by British forces
led by Colonel James Moore
during Queen Anne's War
and abandoned.
Resettled during the Creek War
in 1813 by Uchee refugees, the site was abandoned again in 1818 during the First Seminole War, and was not rediscovered until 1948 during archaeological work by the Florida Park Service
supporting the construction of Lake Seminole.
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...
located in the southwest corner of Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
along its border with Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
, maintained by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The Chattahoochee
Chattahoochee River
The Chattahoochee River flows through or along the borders of the U.S. states of Georgia, Alabama, and Florida. It is a tributary of the Apalachicola River, a relatively short river formed by the confluence of the Chattahoochee and Flint Rivers and emptying into Apalachicola Bay in the Gulf of...
and Flint
Flint River (Georgia)
The Flint River is a river in the U.S. state of Georgia. The river drains of western Georgia, flowing south from the upper Piedmont region south of Atlanta to the wetlands of the Gulf Coastal Plain in the southwestern corner of the state. Along with the Apalachicola and the Chattahoochee rivers,...
river
River
A river is a natural watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, a lake, a sea, or another river. In a few cases, a river simply flows into the ground or dries up completely before reaching another body of water. Small rivers may also be called by several other names, including...
s join in the lake, before flowing from the Jim Woodruff Lock and Dam
Jim Woodruff Dam
Jim Woodruff Dam is a hydroelectric dam on the Apalachicola River, about south of that river's origin at the confluence of the Flint and Chattahoochee Rivers. The dam is named in honor of James W. Woodruff, Sr., a Georgia businessman who spearheaded the development of the...
, which impounds the lake, as the Apalachicola River
Apalachicola River
The Apalachicola River is a river, approximately 112 mi long in the State of Florida. This river's large watershed, known as the ACF River Basin for short, drains an area of approximately into the Gulf of Mexico. The distance to its farthest headstream in northeast Georgia is approximately 500...
. The lake contains 37500 acres (151.8 km²) of water, and has a shoreline of 376 mi (605.1 km). The fish in Lake Seminole include Largemouth bass
Largemouth bass
The largemouth bass is a species of black bass in the sunfish family native to North America . It is also known as widemouth bass, bigmouth, black bass, bucketmouth, Potter's fish, Florida bass, Florida largemouth, green bass, green trout, linesides, Oswego bass, southern largemouth...
, crappie
Crappie
Crappie is a genus of freshwater fish in the sunfish family of order Perciformes. The type species is P. annularis, the white crappie...
, Chain pickerel
Chain pickerel
The chain pickerel, Esox niger , is a species of freshwater fish in the pike family of order Esociformes. The chain pickerel and the american pickerel belong to the Esox genus of pikes.-Range:...
, catfish
Catfish
Catfishes are a diverse group of ray-finned fish. Named for their prominent barbels, which resemble a cat's whiskers, catfish range in size and behavior from the heaviest and longest, the Mekong giant catfish from Southeast Asia and the second longest, the wels catfish of Eurasia, to detritivores...
, Striped bass
Striped bass
The striped bass is the state fish of Maryland, Rhode Island, South Carolina, and the state saltwater fish of New York, Virginia, and New Hampshire...
and other species. American Alligator
American Alligator
The American alligator , sometimes referred to colloquially as a gator, is a reptile endemic only to the Southeastern United States. It is one of the two living species of alligator, in the genus Alligator, within the family Alligatoridae...
s, snake
Snake
Snakes are elongate, legless, carnivorous reptiles of the suborder Serpentes that can be distinguished from legless lizards by their lack of eyelids and external ears. Like all squamates, snakes are ectothermic, amniote vertebrates covered in overlapping scales...
s and various waterfowl
Waterfowl
Waterfowl are certain wildfowl of the order Anseriformes, especially members of the family Anatidae, which includes ducks, geese, and swans....
are also present in the lake, which is known for its goose hunting
Canada Goose
The Canada Goose is a wild goose belonging to the genus Branta, which is native to arctic and temperate regions of North America, having a black head and neck, white patches on the face, and a brownish-gray body....
.
History
Authorised by the United States CongressUnited States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
in the Rivers and Harbors Act of 1946 as the Jim Woodruff Lock and Dam Project, construction begain the following year, with the dam being completed in 1952, and in 1957 the lake was opened. The project was expected to cost $29 million USD, but when completed had required the spending of $46.5 million USD.
Jim Woodruff Dam
The Jim Woodruff Dam, located about 1000 feet (304.8 m) south of the original confluence of the Chattahoochee River, Flint River and Spring Creek to form the Apalachicola River and with a spillway 2224 feet (677.9 m) wide, is a hydroelectric and navigational dam named in honor of James W. Woodruff, Sr., a GeorgiaGeorgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
businessman who spearheaded the development of the Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint Project.
The dam crosses the state line between Georgia and Florida, with the eastern end of the dam being located in Georgia.
Navigation
The Jim Woodruff Dam has a single lock, 450 feet (137.2 m) in length and 82 feet (25 m) wide, that provides navigational access to the lake and the upstream rivers from the Apalachicola River and Gulf of MexicoGulf of Mexico
The Gulf of Mexico is a partially landlocked ocean basin largely surrounded by the North American continent and the island of Cuba. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United States, on the southwest and south by Mexico, and on the southeast by Cuba. In...
. Lake Seminole extends upstream along the Chattahoochee River for 30 miles (48.3 km) and up the Flint River for 35 miles (56.3 km).
Parks
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers maintains 10 parks along the shore of the lake, with 35 parks in total available for recreation, including five campgrounds. Seminole State ParkSeminole State Park
Seminole State Park is a 604 acre state park located on the shores of Lake Seminole in the extreme southwest corner of Georgia. The park offers excellent fishing opportunities on the lake, as well as a tranquil getaway in one of the park's cottages or campsites...
covers 604 acres (244.4 ha) of lakeshore in Georgia, while Three Rivers State Park covers 686 acres (277.6 ha) of wetland north of Sneads, Florida
Sneads, Florida
Sneads is a town in Jackson County, Florida, United States. The population was 1,919 at the 2000 census. As of 2004, the population recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau is 1,911 .-Geography:Sneads is located at ....
.
San Carlos de los Chacatos
The West Bank Overlook at the western end of the dam is the location of the Spanish missionSpanish missions in Florida
Beginning in the second half of the 16th century, the Kingdom of Spain established a number of missions throughout la Florida in order to convert the Indians to Christianity, to facilitate control of the area, and to prevent its colonization by other countries, in particular, England and France...
San Carlos de los Chacatos, established in 1674 following a revolt by the Chacato
Chatot (tribe)
The Chatot were a Native American tribe who lived in the upper Apalachicola River and Chipola River basins in what is now Florida...
. Used by both Marcos Delgado and Don Laureano de Torres y Ayala on their expeditions, the mission was attacked by Alibamo warriors in 1696, then later by British forces
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
led by Colonel James Moore
James Moore (South Carolina politician)
James Moore was the British governor of colonial South Carolina between 1700 and 1703. He is remembered for leading several invasions of Spanish Florida, including attacks in 1704 and 1706 which wiped out most of the Spanish missions in Florida....
during Queen Anne's War
Queen Anne's War
Queen Anne's War , as the North American theater of the War of the Spanish Succession was known in the British colonies, was the second in a series of French and Indian Wars fought between France and England, later Great Britain, in North America for control of the continent. The War of the...
and abandoned.
Resettled during the Creek War
Creek War
The Creek War , also known as the Red Stick War and the Creek Civil War, began as a civil war within the Creek nation...
in 1813 by Uchee refugees, the site was abandoned again in 1818 during the First Seminole War, and was not rediscovered until 1948 during archaeological work by the Florida Park Service
Florida State Parks
The Florida State Parks encompass the majority of the lands that fall under the authority of the Florida Department of Environmental Protection. There are 160 such entities, including nature reserves, recreation areas, and historic sites, which can be found in every corner of the state...
supporting the construction of Lake Seminole.
