Lake Taneycomo

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Lake Taneycomo
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Lake Taneycomo
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Lake Taneycomo
Location Taney County, Missouri
Coordinates 36°41′42″N93°09′54″W / 36.695°N 93.165°W / 36.695; -93.165
Type reservoir
Primary inflows White River
Primary outflows White River
Basin  countries United States
Surface elevation702 ft (214 m) [1]
Lake Taneycomo as seen from an observation point on Route 165. The dam in the background impounds Table Rock Lake. Lake Taneycomo.jpg
Lake Taneycomo as seen from an observation point on Route 165. The dam in the background impounds Table Rock Lake.
The Bridge over Lake Taneycomo between Branson and Hollister, Missouri with Branson Landing and the Branson Convention Center in the background Svedrup Bridge, September 2007.jpg
The Bridge over Lake Taneycomo between Branson and Hollister, Missouri with Branson Landing and the Branson Convention Center in the background

Lake Taneycomo is a man-made lake or reservoir on the White River in the Ozark Mountains of Taney County, Missouri. The reservoir's name is a portmanteau for the county and state in which it is located: Taney County, MO.

Lake Taneycomo originated when the White River was confined by the completion of the Powersite Dam, near Forsyth, Missouri, in 1913. [2] From 1913 until 1958 it was a warm water lake. [3] In the 1920s and 1930s, tourists began to be drawn to the lake and its nearby communities, Branson and Rockaway Beach. Water skiing, boating, fishing, sunning and swimming drew folks to the warm waters of Lake Taneycomo. Restaurants, lodging and amusement attractions such as bumper cars and skee ball were plentiful in the towns along the lake. [4]

The completion of Table Rock Dam in 1958 changed the source of water to Taneycomo from that of the White River's flowing waters to the bottom tailwater of Table Rock Lake from the dam spillway and made it into a cold water lake. The clear cold waters from the deep tailwaters of Table Rock Lake pour out of the dam into Lake Taneycomo. [5] The cold water made swimming and water sports undesirable. Tourism declined sharply in Rockaway Beach and started shifting to Branson and Table Rock Lake. [4]

Although tourism declined, fishermen found that the chilly water of Lake Taneycomo made it one of the top trout fishing lakes in the country. [6] In 1957, the Missouri Department of Conservation constructed the Shepherd of the Hills Trout Hatchery. [7] All methods of trout fishingfly fishing, artificial bait, and live bait fishing — may be used year-round to pursue trout that inhabit the waters of Lake Taneycomo.

Lake Taneycomo has the characteristics of both a river and a lake. The shallow colder water, located near the Table Rock Dam, averages 48 °F (9 °C), resembles a river and permits wading and bank fishing for trout. [3] The average temperature of the water gets warmer and the depth of the lake deepens to more than 50 feet (15 m) near the Powersite Dam in Forsyth. When Table Rock Dam is generating power its current is very strong throughout its whole length, its water temperature drops, and for all practical purposes it becomes a very deep, cold, fast running river. Exactly how deep, cold, and fast depends on how many generators are being used to generate electricity at Table Rock Dam. [3]

Lake Taneycomo offers a variety of recreational activities including hiking, sightseeing, hunting, fishing, swimming, boating, and water skiing. People accessing Lake Taneycomo are able to visit area restaurants, accommodations, shopping, and shows in the Branson area.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trout</span> Freshwater fish from subfamily Salmoninae

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Taney County, Missouri</span> County in Missouri, United States

Taney County is a county in the southwestern portion of the U.S. state of Missouri. As of the 2020 census, the population was 56,066. Its county seat is Forsyth. It is included in the Branson, Missouri, Micropolitan Statistical Area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rockaway Beach, Missouri</span> City in Missouri, United States

Rockaway Beach is a city in Taney County, Missouri, United States. The population was 829 at the 2020 census. It lies on the shoreline of the White River.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Branson, Missouri</span> City in Missouri, United States

Branson is a city in the U.S. state of Missouri. Most of the city is situated in Taney County, with a small portion in the west extending into Stone County. Branson is in the Ozark Mountains. The community was named after Reuben Branson, postmaster and operator of a general store in the area in the 1880s. The population was 12,638 at the 2020 census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ozarks</span> Highland region in central-southern United States

The Ozarks, also known as the Ozark Mountains, Ozark Highlands or Ozark Plateau, is a physiographic region in the U.S. states of Missouri, Arkansas, Oklahoma and the extreme southeastern corner of Kansas. The Ozarks cover a significant portion of northern Arkansas and most of the southern half of Missouri, extending from Interstate 40 in central Arkansas to Interstate 70 in central Missouri.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bull Shoals Lake</span> Reservoir in northern Arkansas and southern Missouri, United States

Bull Shoals Lake is an artificial lake or reservoir in the Ozark Mountains of northern Arkansas and southern Missouri, United States. It has hundreds of miles of lake arms and coves, and common activities include boating, water sports, swimming, and fishing. Nineteen developed parks around the shoreline provide campgrounds, boat launches, swim areas, and marinas.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Table Rock Lake</span> Man-made lake in Missouri and Arkansas, United States

Table Rock Lake is an artificial lake or reservoir in the Ozarks of southwestern Missouri and northwestern Arkansas in the United States. Designed, built and operated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the lake is impounded by Table Rock Dam, which was constructed from 1954 to 1958 on the White River.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Missouri Route 76</span> State highway in Missouri

Route 76 is a highway in the west half of southern Missouri running between U.S. Route 60 and U.S. Route 63 at Willow Springs and the Oklahoma state line near Tiff City where it continues as a county road. It bypasses Branson on the Ozark Mountain High Road and is the namesake of the Branson strip, 76 Country Blvd. The road runs for its entirety through the Missouri Ozarks, and is at times very hilly and curvy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Missouri Route 176</span> State highway in southwestern Missouri

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Missouri Route 165</span> State highway in southwestern Missouri

Route 165 and County Road 165 (CR 165) form a loop around the west side of Branson, Missouri, in Taney and Stone counties. The highway's southern terminus is at U.S. Route 65 (US 65) south of Branson, in Hollister. Even though the county road designation belongs to Taney County, it briefly enters Stone County at Table Rock State Park. Upon re-entering Taney County, it crosses the Table Rock Lake Dam, along with Route 265, at Table Rock Lake. Its northern terminus is at US 65 along the Red Route in north Branson.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Powersite, Missouri</span>

Powersite is an unincorporated community in Taney County, Missouri, United States. It is located across Lake Taneycomo from Forsyth on the southeast end of Powersite Dam. The community is part of the Branson, Missouri Micropolitan Statistical Area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">North Fork River (Missouri–Arkansas)</span> Stream in the American states of Missouri and Arkansas

The North Fork River or the North Fork of White River is a 109-mile-long (175 km) tributary of the White River, into which it flows near Norfork, Arkansas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Norfork Tailwater</span>

The Norfork Tailwater is the segment of the North Fork River below Norfork Dam in north central Arkansas. The Norfork Tailwater is about 4.8 miles (7.7 km) long and stretches from the dam below Lake Norfork to the White River at Norfork. The community of Salesville lies approximately 1.5 miles west of the dam on Arkansas Highway 177. Norfork is located on Arkansas Highway 5 at the confluence of the Norfork Tailwater with the White River approximately 3.5 miles southwest of the dam.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rough River Lake</span> Reservoir in Kentucky, US

The Rough River Lake is a Y-shaped reservoir located in Breckinridge, Hardin, and Grayson counties in Kentucky, United States, about 70 miles southwest of Louisville. This lake was created by the building of a dam, begun in 1955 and completed in 1961, 89.3 miles (143.7 km) above the connection between the Rough River and the Green River. The land and water, along with the wildlife, fisheries, and recreational activities, are all managed under the cooperation of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Commonwealth of Kentucky. A primary attraction is Rough River Dam State Resort Park.

The Neosho National Fish Hatchery is the oldest federal fish hatchery in operation today. It is one of 69 fish hatcheries operated by the US Fish and Wildlife Service. It was established in 1888.

Fall Creek is a small creek with headwaters in Stone County just south of Missouri Route 76 and northeast of Silver Dollar City. The stream enters Taney County and flows southeast between Route 76 and Missouri Route 265 through west Branson and joins the White River downstream of the Table Rock Lake dam in south Branson. It flows parallel to and then under Missouri Route 165. The White River enters Lake Taneycomo downstream.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Beaver Creek (White River tributary)</span> Stream in the American state of Missouri

Beaver Creek is a stream in western Douglas and eastern Taney counties of Missouri. It is a tributary to the White River of northern Arkansas.

Bull Creek is a stream in Christian and Taney counties in the Ozarks of southern Missouri.

Ozark Beach is an unincorporated community in Taney County, in the Ozarks of southern Missouri. The site is on the shoreline of Lake Taneycomo, approximately one mile west (upstream) of Powersite Dam.

References

  1. U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Lake Taneycomo
  2. "Powersite Dam". Archived from the original on 10 April 2011. Retrieved 30 August 2010.
  3. 1 2 3 "Lake Taneycomo". Branson, Mo.: Branson.com. Retrieved 9 May 2018.
  4. 1 2 "Rockaway Beach: From Booming Resort to Sleepy Fishing Town". Springfield, Mo.: KSMU Radio/Missouri State University. 5 September 2012. Retrieved 10 May 2018.
  5. "Lake Taneycomo" . Retrieved 25 August 2014.
  6. "Rockaway Beach Past / Present / Future". City of Rockaway Beach. Retrieved 10 May 2018.
  7. "Shepherd of the Hills Fish Hatchery Conservation Center". Archived from the original on 16 August 2004.