Robert S. Kerr Reservoir is located within the Cookson Hills

Cookson Hills

The Cookson Hills are in the eastern part of Oklahoma. They are an extension of the Boston Mountains of Arkansas to the east and the southwestern margin of the Ozark Plateau. They lie generally between Stilwell, Oklahoma, Sallisaw, Oklahoma and Tahlequah, Oklahoma. The area became part of the...

, on the Arkansas River

Arkansas River

The Arkansas River is a major tributary of the Mississippi River. The Arkansas generally flows to the east and southeast as it traverses the U.S. states of Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas. The river's initial basin starts in the Western United States in Colorado, specifically the Arkansas...

 in Sequoyah

Sequoyah County, Oklahoma

Sequoyah County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. It is part of the Fort Smith, Arkansas-Oklahoma Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of 2000, the population was 38,972. Its county seat is Sallisaw.-History:...

, Le Flore

Le Flore County, Oklahoma

Le Flore County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. It is part of the Fort Smith, Arkansas-Oklahoma Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of 2000, the population was 48,109. Its county seat is Poteau. The United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma is the federal...

, Haskell

Haskell County, Oklahoma

Haskell County is a county located in the southeast quadrant of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. As of 2000, the population was 11,792. Its county seat is Stigler. The county is named in honor of Charles N. Haskell, who was the first governor of Oklahoma....

, and Muskogee

Muskogee County, Oklahoma

Muskogee County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. As of 2010, the population was 70,990. Its county seat is Muskogee.-Government:...

 counties in eastern Oklahoma

Oklahoma

Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...

, USA. It is about eight miles south of the nearest major town, Sallisaw, Oklahoma

Sallisaw, Oklahoma

Sallisaw is a city in Sequoyah County, Oklahoma, United States. It is part of the Fort Smith, Arkansas-Oklahoma Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 8,880 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Sequoyah County. It has three highways running through it: U.S. 59, or Kerr Boulevard,...

. The reservoir is impounded by Robert S. Kerr Lock and Dam at river mile

River mile

In the United States, a River mile is a measure of distance in miles along a river from its mouth. River mile numbers begin at zero and increase further upstream. The corresponding metric unit using kilometers is the River kilometer...

 336.2 (km 541.1) on the Arkansas River, just a few miles below its confluence with the Canadian River

Canadian River

The Canadian River is the longest tributary of the Arkansas River. It is about long, starting in Colorado and traveling through New Mexico, the Texas Panhandle, and most of Oklahoma....

. The lock and dam are part of the McClellan-Kerr Arkansas River Navigation System, which provides for barge navigation on the Arkansas River and some of its tributaries. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers maintains the locks and navigation system.

The lock and dam were constructed by the Corps of Engineers and completed in 1970 at a cost of $94.566 million ($501 million in 2007 dollars). The dam also contains a small hydroelectric power plant with four units capable of producing a combined total of 110 megawatts.

Recreation

The lake

Lake

A lake is a body of relatively still fresh or salt water of considerable size, localized in a basin, that is surrounded by land. Lakes are inland and not part of the ocean and therefore are distinct from lagoons, and are larger and deeper than ponds. Lakes can be contrasted with rivers or streams,...

 and surrounds are popular destinations for boating, fishing and hunting. Facilities at the lake include boat ramps, picnic areas, RV and tent campsites, swimming beaches,hiking trails and concession stands. The Army Corps of Engineers also manages over 10000 acres (40.5 km²) surrounding the lake for public hunting. Observation decks at the lake's visitors center allow guests to view barges and private watercraft as they pass through the lock system on the McClellan-Kerr Arkansas River Navigation System.

The lock, dam, and reservoir are named after Robert S. Kerr

Robert S. Kerr

Robert Samuel Kerr was an American businessman from Oklahoma. Kerr formed a petroleum company before turning to politics. He served as the 12th Governor of Oklahoma and was elected three times to the United States Senate...

, former governor of Oklahoma and U.S. senator

United States Senate

The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...

from Oklahoma, who died in 1963.

External links

• U. S. Army Corps of Engineers: Robert S. Kerr Reservoir
• U. S. Army Corps of Engineers: Robert S. Kerr Lock and Dam Reservoir
• Robert S. Kerr Reservoir information on TravelOK.com Official travel and tourism website for the State of Oklahoma.