Pottsboro and Lake Texoma Area
The Red River in North Texas was known for being wild, dangerous and the area around Sherman, Denison and Pottsboro was known as Helldorado on the Red River. The River flooded on a regular basis, affecting farmland, livestock and river traffic. A short history of the Lake Area can be found on the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers site telling about old Fort Washita, the Overland Butterfield Stagecoach, the Chisholm and Shawnee Trails, and the building of the dam. From that article is the following description of the dam,
Denison Dam and Lake Texoma were authorized for construction by the Flood Control Act approved June 28, 1938, (public Law No. 761, 75th Congress, 3rd Session) for flood control and generation of hydroelectric power. The dam, spillway and outlet works were started in August 1939, and completed in February 1944 at a cost of $78,307,000. When completed in 1944, Denison Dam was America’s largest rolled, earth-filled dam. The dam is now the 12th largest in volume in the United States. The project was put into operation for flood control in January 1944. The first hydroelectric turbine was placed in operation in March 1945 and a second unit in September 1949. The power-intake structure will permit future installation of three additional power units.
The lake has crested the dam’s spillway at a height of 640 ft (195.07 m) three times: once in 1957, again in 1990, and most recently on July 7, 2007.
When you are in historic downtown Sherman, to visit the Spa or eat at one of our wonderful restaurants, please take time to drive down Travis, Crockett and Walnut Streets and view some of our Victorian Homes. One of the most remarkable is the home of the Sherman Preservation League. You can find out about the life and times of the Roberts family, as well as this area by visiting during their open hours or one of their events. To find out more by visiting their website click here.
Within 30 yards of the Spa you will find the Red River Historical Museum. Take a few minutes or hours to enjoy their exhibits and find out even more about the history of our area. The website can be found by clicking here. One of my favorite projects concerns Sophia Suttonfield Aughinbaugh Coffee Butt Porter. Well known because of the Sophie Porter series with Joanna Clark portraying Sophie and other local players portraying her husbands. Here is a link to a recent article and information about the series. You can also visit her cabin at the Loy Lake Frontier Village in Denison, Texas.
Always something new to learn about the deep history and characters of the Helldorado on the Red that is now known as Pottsboro, Sherman and Denison, Texas and Calera, Ardmore and Tishomingo, Oklahoma!
