Building Bull Shoals Dam

The Dedication

President Harry S. Truman came to the area, after the completion of Bull Shoals Dam, to dedicate both the Norfork and Bulls Shoals Dams. I was fortunate enough to find an original flyer for the visit and dedication. 

July 2 through the 4th of 1952 was quite an affair for the now Twin Lakes area and must have been very exciting for local residents. I hope, in the future, to find some photos from the occasion to add to my collection.

Building Bull Shoals Dam

Part 2

General view looking upstream from below near office building. Pool elevation 497.0 upstream gauge. January 1, 1950

 For this part of the story, I'd like to let the photos, postcards, and captions tell the story. The photos and postcards are all part of my growing and rather extensive collection of historical Arkansas postcards, images, and ephemera. The captions were retrieved from the Corps of Engineers descriptions from photos posted online.

March 1, 1950
View looking upstream from left training wall along down stream side of monoliths 17 - 6 inclusive.

The field you see below the dam is now a golf course. That bridge is no longer there, removed after construction was completed. 

This is the downstream side of the dam. You can see where the White River was diverted on the right-hand side to allow for construction. On the hill to the left is where the Gaston Visitor Center now sits overlooking the dam.

Here, the dam is nearly completed. You can still see the bridge below the dam that connects both sides of the river. The postcard below shows much the same picture but the bridge has been demolished and the rest of the construction equipment on the dam is gone.

This postcard and the one below are before the dam was completed. You can see some phases of the construction. 

As you can see, the project was extensive and well-documented with photographs. 

Next time, the dedication of the dam.

Building Bull Shoals Dam 

Part 1

Completed in November 1951, and dedicated in July 1952, Bull Shoals Dam was the result of a decades-long effort. 

The original site was to be at Wildcat Shoals, but the foundation conditions were found to be unfavorable. In 1940, a report was published establishing that not only was the site at Bull Shoals more favorable, but it was also economically justified for purposes of flood control and producing hydroelectric power. 1941 saw Congress modifying the plan and authorizing $24,000,000 for the project. World War II put the build on hold. 

General View of the construction bridge and contractors shop area.

In an August 1949 report completed by the Little Rock District Corps of Engineers, the Construction of the dam was awarded to Ozark Dam Constructors, Houston, Texas. The time required for the construction was set at 5 years with nearly 3 million man-days of construction estimated for completion.

If you look at the above photo, you can see the Railroad tracks that were constructed from Cotter to move materials to the site. Remnants of the line are still visible, part of which is used for a walking trail from the Cotter City Park below the R.M. Ruthven Bridge.

Ozark Dam Contractors was a consortium of several companies from eight states and the District of Columbia. They broke ground in June 1947. Construction was a round the clock affair employing an average of 1500 employees. 

The "Government Village" of single and double unit dwellings was constructed on Government Reservation in Mountain Home to house the families of U.S. Engineers employees in the construction of Norfork and Bull shoals Dams, on the North Fork and White Rivers.
Posted Oct. 13, 1944, from Mtn. Home, AR

Many of those employees were housed in a village built for the purpose, located near Mountain Home. 

One of the most remarkable feats of engineering in the building of the Bull Shoals Dam was the conveyor belt, 7 miles long (the longest of its kind at the time), that carried crushed rock to the site over the mountain. It only broke down 1 time during that period after being struck by lightning. In order to get the crushed rock that was moved down the conveyor, very extensive blasting was done. According to accounts by local residents many of the businesses in downtown Flippin, as well as more than a few homes, were damaged as a result. 

A Sea Monster in Lee's Creek?

Every state has its legends and strange stories. As reported in the June 27, 1927, edition of the Baxter Bulletin, this may be stranger than most.

“Sea Monster in Creek,” “Crawford County Man Sees One That Spits Ink, Strange Phenomenon” were the titles that preceded the tale repeated from the Associated Press out of Fort Smith.

Tom Ross, “an angler with an imagination” who is compared to Baron Munchausen and a couple of other unbelievable characters, returned from a day of fishing on Lee’s Creek with a tale that is apparently hard to believe.

The fisherman, while standing on the bank fishing, reported seeing “The water suddenly turn a dark color. Right before his startled eyes the peculiar coloring continued to spread over the surface of the placid stream until it extended to a space of 10 feet in diameter.” 

It was speculated it could be “a devil fish, an octopus or a hobgoblin of the nether region.” It was obvious from the tone of the article that Mr. Ross was less than credible. It would be interesting to see if the sighting led to any further sightings or a legend being born.

With the popularity of "monster-hunting reality shows" (I say this tongue-in-cheek) on television this was a story that caught my eye as I was researching odd stories from Arkansas. I was delighted to add the above postcard to my collection to go with the story. From the photo, the creek doesn't look very deep. Finding a sea monster that far inland might be difficult.

*I noticed that the gentleman never reported actually seeing a creature of any kind, just the water changing color and spreading out over the creek. It would be interesting to see if the local paper attempted to find a reasonable explanation for the phenomenon as the Mountain Echo did when “black rain” fell in Marion County.

Buffalo National River

photo by Bonnie Dillard

While the land at the site of the Buffalo River State Park was protected, the river itself was not. During the 1930’s, there was an initiative to dam rivers for hydroelectric power and flood control and many dams, including the Bull Shoals and Norfork reservoirs were established. In early 1961, the push was on to place not one, but two dams on the Buffalo; one at Lone Rock and one at Gilbert. There was vocal and organized support both for and against the dams. Recent localized flooding had added to support for at least a flood control dam to be built. The Arkansas chapter of the Nature Conservancy, against the dams and the Buffalo River Improvement Association, a group advocating the dams squared up on opposite sides, each trying to rally local and national public officials to their respective causes.

Swinging Bridge
Located on the Buffalo River in the heart of the Ozark Mountains.
Color photo by Johnnie M. Gray
*If anyone has information about where on the Buffalo River this swinging bridge was located, I would love to hear from you.

After a long and hard-fought battle, a bill was passed in the United States House of Representatives and sent to the oval office. On March 1, 1971, President Nixon made the dream of the nation’s first National River a reality and funds were set aside for its creation.

Even after the bill was passed, the controversy was not over. Even to this day, over 40 years later, locals who were relocated from land that had been in their families for generations still hold a high degree of resentment against the federal government and its “heavy-handed” tactics.

photo by Bonnie Dillard

A beautiful and popular destination for Arkansas visitors, the Buffalo National River still floods during heavy rains, but the National Park Service issues warnings to visitors of impending flood conditions. If it had been dammed, it would be just another local lake. Instead, it is a unique part of our National Parks system and a welcome respite for those who  enjoy  floating, hiking and camping.

Flooding from 2008
Dillard's Ferry - Hwy. 14 East from Yellville
Top photo is about 2 hours after maximum flood stage.
Second photo is 24 hours later.
Photos by Bonnie Dillard

To read more about the change from State Park to National River and how it affected the local population read Stolen Water, Forgotten Liberties: A True Story of Life Along Arkansas' South Highway 14 and the Buffalo River by Jenny Barnes Butler

Sources: The Battle for the Buffalo by Compton, Neil , University of Arkansas Press ©1992

http://usparks.about.com/blparktypes-nr.htm

http://www.nps.gov/buff/index.htm

Be sure to check out my earlier post about Buffalo River State Park. Lots of postcards!

Buffalo River State Park

Before it was designated as our first National River, there was a Buffalo River State Park.With 135 of its 149 miles protected, the Buffalo River is the longest of only five river systems protected in the National Park system. One mile longer than the Ozark National Scenic Riverways, which encompasses both the Current and Jacks Fork Rivers in Missouri, the Buffalo National River was first established as an Arkansas State Park in 1938. 

A series of articles in the Yellville, Arkansas Mountain Echo newspaper tell the tale of how the state park came to be. Apparently, S.G. Davies, the Director of State Parks, spent some time in the area in October 1937 with Sam Duren, a local member of the State Parks Commission. It was realized that the area had some “ideal settings for beautiful parks.” The local residents felt that a State Park would be invaluable to Marion County, bringing badly needed revenue in the form of tourists and a possible CCC (Civilian Conservation Corps) camp to build the park itself. 

Citizens organized to “put up a strong fight for the project.” Citing the project as a means to get Highways 14 and 62 paved as well as the revenue, the Mountain Echo issued a rallying cry to local citizens to get behind the project. By January of 1938, a site was secured for the park by persuading the owners to donate the land, since the state at that time, “Would not take over any area to be converted to a park unless the nucleus of the area was donated.”

The next obstacle was the establishment of a CCC camp to build the park. It was a toss-up between Lake Catherine and Buffalo River. In the end, the Buffalo won out due to a concerted effort by local politicians including Washington D.C. Congressman Claude Fuller.

It is interesting to note, in February 1938, there were seven State parks; Arkansas Post State Park, Arkansas County; Crowley’s Ridge, Greene County; Devil’s Den, Washington County; Lake Catherine, Hot Springs County; Mt. Nebo, Yell County; Petit Jean, Conway County, and Negro State Park, Jefferson County. The other interesting note from history is that the original state park land was donated instead of taken by imminent domain as the land was for the national park. One of the articles mentioned that a fish hatchery was also planned for the park. I have been unable to confirm that it was ever built. 

After the establishment of the park, papers from the next two years reported Fourth of July celebrations as taking place on the grounds of the State Park, even though it is over 15 miles from the town of Yellville.

Source: Microfilm reel #9 (Yellville) Mountain Echo - May 8, 1935 (Vol. 49, #5) – Sept. 17, 1941 (Vol. 56, #26) Marion County Library, Yellville, Arkansas

Ozark Playground Series Picturesque river scene at the camping area in the beautiful Buffalo River State Park, located on Highway 14 between Yellville and Marshall, Arkansas. The park offers housekeeping cottages, lodge with dining room, camping, picnic and swimming facilities. Bring the whole family for a vacation packed with fun and relaxation.

Be sure to check out the post about the Buffalo National River!

Highway 62 and 101 Ferries Over Lake Norfork

  Until 1983, visitors from the East to Mountain Home, Arkansas, had to ride a ferry over Lake Norfork on both State Highway 101 and US Highway 62. This unique experience can still be had if visitors will take Arkansas State Highway 14 west from Yellville to State Highway 125 north to Missouri. Known as the Peel ferry, this boat ride is the last operating public ferry in the state.

The two most photographed ferries in Arkansas are probably the ones that crossed Norfork Lake at Highway 62 and Highway 101. As you can see, I have found numerous photo postcards of each. 

Historically, most major rivers in Arkansas were crossed by ferries. As some of those rivers were dammed and lakes created, they were crossed by public ferries. 

I can remember, when I moved to Mountain Home in 1979, crossing the ferry to head east and what a novelty it was. It was in the early 1980s when funds were released to build both the bridge connecting both sides of US Highway 62 and Arkansas State Highway 101 over Lake Norfork. Before the bridges were in place all traffic, including semi-trucks, had to take the ferries operated by the AHTD (Arkansas Highway and Transportation Department). If a semi was carrying hazardous cargo, it had to be transported by itself, often backing up traffic from that side of the bridge. 

You can see by this real photo postcard and the others I've shared that vehicles of all descriptions used the ferries to cross Norfork Lake. Believe it or not, for a short while before Norfork Dam was built, there was a beautiful bridge across the lake. It was covered as the lake filled and is now a popular scuba diving spot. 

You can see the bridge in the distance. When it was decided that the dam would be built, the bridge was only about 10 years old when it was covered by the waters of Lake Norfork.

I love the old Woody wagon in this one. It was one of my first postcards of the ferry in full color. 

Both ferries were within sight of each other. This postcard shows how close both were located to each other. The one you see to the left went to Gamaliel on Hwy. 101. The ferry coming, closest to the dock, went to Henderson and was U.S. Hwy. 62. It carried a lot of traffic since it was a major east-west artery across the northern part of Arkansas.

I would love to hear your memories of crossing the ferries. Most people who lived in the area before the bridges were built in 1983 remember riding the ferries. It was the only way one could head east out of Mountain Home without going south first through Norfork. 

You will see the name Wingard at the bottom of several of the postcards. The family still has a photography studio in the Twin Lakes area.

For more information:http://www.norforklakechamber.com/henderson.htm