TOP: The White River as seen from Panorama Point near Monte
Ne, circa 1920.
W.B. Grabill Collection (S-86-210-4)
BOTTOM: Residents watch the flooding of the West Fork of the
White River, near Brentwood, April 15, 1927.
Bertha Cartmell Reid & George Cartmell Collection (S-89-105-241)
The White River starts near Fayetteville and flows north into
Missouri before returning to Arkansas. In 1926 and 1927 heavy
rains throughout the Midwest and South dumped an enormous
amount of water into the White and other rivers that flow into the
Mississippi River. The Great Flood of 1927 began on April 16
when a levee broke in Illinois. As the water flowed downstream,
more levees broke.
The floodwaters devastated the South. Over 27,000 square miles
of land were flooded in Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Mississippi,
Louisiana, and Arkansas. Nearly 1,000 people lost their lives, one
million people were displaced, and 130,000 homes were
destroyed.
It was because of this flood that the Federal government began
looking into ways to manage the nation’s rivers. In 1929 the U.S.
Army Corps of Engineers began a $61,000 flood-control study of
the White River Basin, concluding that a series of dams was
needed.
Building Beaver Lake
Shiloh Museum of Ozark History
Members of the Beaver Dam Association, circa 1950. Front
row, from left: Willis Shaw (Elm Springs), Claud Morsani
(Tontitown), vice-president Joe Robinson (Springdale), president
Earl Harris (Rogers), secretary-treasurer Courtney Crouch
(Springdale), Mace Howell (Springdale), Paul Young
(Fayetteville), unidentified. Back row, from left: Elbert Graham
(Lowell), State Senator Russell Elrod (Siloam Springs), J.J. Neil
(Springdale), Albert Price (Eureka Springs), unidentified,
unidentified, Shelby Ford (Springdale), Carl Shores (Cave
Springs), unidentified.
Springdale Chamber of Commerce Collection (S-77-9-294)
Northwest Arkansas lobbied for the construction of Beaver Lake.
In 1949 area leaders formed the Beaver Dam Association to study
such things as erosion and flooding on the upper White River and
to look into irrigation, municipal water, and hydroelectric power, all
in order to promote the lake’s construction.
The Beaver Water District was formed in 1957 by the cities of
Bentonville, Fayetteville, Rogers, and Springdale to secure a longterm supply of water for Benton and Washington Counties. The
District paid for five additional feet of dam height for water
storage.
Building Beaver Lake
Shiloh Museum of Ozark History
One of five aerial maps produced by the Corps of Engineers
illustrating the area to be cleared for the reservoir, July 1960.
The future footprint of the lake is marked in white. Rogers is on
the left.
Joe Neal Collection (S-89-14)
The Corps of Engineers had to purchase over 40,000 acres of
land to make way for the reservoir. It was a difficult task because
land titles back in the hills were informal or non-existent and
owners or their heirs were scattered.
Because the White was a meandering river, the lake took on an
irregular shape as the impounded waters backed up into the hills
and valleys of the river basin.
Not only did the lake change the geographical landscape of the
area, it changed the historical and cultural landscapes. Families
whose ancestors homesteaded along the White were forced to
move their homes and cemeteries as the lake rose to cover farms,
small towns and communities, Native American archeological sites,
and historical sites such as the resort at Monte Ne.
Building Beaver Lake
Shiloh Museum of Ozark History
U.S. Representative James W. Trimble at the groundbreaking
for Beaver Dam, November 22, 1960. The men to his right are,
from left: Governor Orval E. Faubus, Clarence Byrnes, and Joe
Robinson, president of the Beaver Dam Association.
Springdale Morning News Collection (SMN pre-65-23)
It was fitting that U.S. Representative James W. Trimble of
Berryville was the first to break earth at the dam site, because
he was a leading advocate for Beaver Lake. Although there was
opposition to the reservoir in Congress, by adding water supply to
the reservoir’s purpose he was able to secure the necessary funds
in 1954. At the ceremony Trimble envisioned a day when:
…family groups with children will enjoy outings on the shores of the
emerald lake to be created here, when young lovers will make plans
for a brighter future, and older folks will look in increasing numbers to our beautiful Ozarks as an ideal place for retirement in their
golden years.
Governor Faubus declared, “Nature has given to the Ozarks their
unmatched beauty. Now Beaver Dam will help this hill country
grow into one of the most prosperous areas of our Nation.”
Building Beaver Lake
Shiloh Museum of Ozark History
TOP: Preparing a bluff ledge for the concrete mixing plant,
early 1961.
Thomas E. Petermann Collection (S-2005-89-53)
BOTTOM: Bluff with the trestle and mixing plant under
construction, June 1961.
Thomas E. Petermann Collection (S-2005-89-67B)
The best site for the dam was found about six miles northwest of
Eureka Springs, where the White River flowed past a 350-feettall bluff on one side and a more gradual rise of 250 feet on the
other.
To bring machinery and supplies to the dam site, the Frisco
Railroad built a 20-car spur near Gateway on the ArkansasMissouri border. Materials traveled down Highway 62 and then
onto a newly built three-mile-long access road.
The contract to build the dam was awarded on November 16,
1960. For the next four years tremors, noise, dust, and diesel
fumes filled the sleepy little valley.
Building Beaver Lake
Shiloh Museum of Ozark History
A whirley crane places a second crane, June 1961.
Thomas E. Petermann Collection (S-2005-89-57)
Two electric whirley cranes were used to build the dam. Each crane
revolved 360 degrees on its base, allowing the operator to move
heavy construction materials and concrete in all directions. The
cranes were mounted on 75-feet- tall gantries, movable steel
towers perched atop a steel trestle (bridge) spanning the length of
the dam.
Care had to be taken to keep the crane from overextending and
toppling over. The heavier the load hanging from the end of the
long boom, the closer it needed to stay to the center of the crane.
Building Beaver Lake
Shiloh Museum of Ozark History
The concrete mixing plant (front) and the trestle for the whirley
cranes (back) under construction, August 1961. The White River
flows below the concrete plant.
Thomas E. Petermann Collection (S-2005-89-62)
A used mixing plant was purchased from the Niagara Falls Power
Project in New York in 1960. It was taken apart and shipped by
rail to Gateway.
Cement and aggregate (crushed stone) were stored in the plant
above a structure which sorted the aggregate into various sizes.
From there the materials went into batching hoppers to be
measured and weighed and then into one of four mixers, each
capable of holding four cubic yards of concrete.
Along with the tracks for the whirley crane gantries, two sets of
railroad tracks were installed on the trestle, allowing for the
coming and going of the flatcars hauling giant buckets of concrete.
Building Beaver Lake
Shiloh Museum of Ozark History
TOP: Part of the rock-crushing plant, December 1961.
Thomas E. Petermann Collection (S-2005-89-100)
BOTTOM: The concrete mixing plant, December 1961. A
railroad flatcar with buckets of concrete is seen in front.
Thomas E. Petermann Collection (S-2005-89-105)
Concrete is made of aggregate, sand, water, Portland cement, and
sometimes flyash, a filler material that is a by-product of
coal-burning plants. To keep costs down, the aggregate quarry
was located at the top of the bluff.
Rock was blasted to a depth of 90 feet and hauled to the rockcrushing plant near the bluff’s edge. After it was crushed and
screened into various sizes, the rock was stored in recovery tunnels
and moved by conveyor belt to the mixing plant.
Building Beaver Lake
Shiloh Museum of Ozark History
The finished trestle, January 1962.
Bettye Mohney Collection (S-86-124-38:3)
The project was a joint venture between the T.L. James and J.A.
Jones construction companies. As contractor they oversaw all
phases of the work including scheduling and delivery of supplies
and equipment, securing electrical power to the site, and letting
out subcontracts for preparing the foundation and operating the
quarry. The contractor also hired the work crew. Some were
seasoned professionals who traveled from project to project, but
most were local workers.
The contractor built warehouses, fueling depots, equipment
maintenance sheds, project offices, temporary roads and a bridge
across the river, a carpentry shop, an inspection building, parking
areas, lay-down areas for materials and equipment, and an
electrical substation. In the end, the dam and powerhouse were
completed ahead of schedule and under budget.
Building Beaver Lake
Shiloh Museum of Ozark History
TOP: Whirley cranes moving buckets of concrete to a monolith,
December 1961.
Thomas E. Petermann Collection (S-2005-89-104)
BOTTOM: The worksite behind an earthen cofferdam,
December 1961.
Thomas E. Petermann Collection (S-2005-89-101)
A gravity dam is made up of monoliths, giant concrete blocks built
on top of and next to each other. To create the monoliths,
cantilevered steel lifts (forms) are used to hold and shape the
concrete until it is hardened. Chilled concrete, shallow lifts, and a
precisely calculated cure time prevent the concrete from cracking.
After steel reinforcing rods were put into position, concrete was
poured onto the sandblasted surface of the hardened monolith
below the lift. The concrete mix was so stiff when it was poured
that workers were able to walk on it and use a six-inch vibrator to
consolidate the concrete and remove air pockets.
Three cofferdams made of earth or steel sheet piling were erected
at different stages of the project. They served as temporary
barriers to keep the White River from flooding the worksite.
Building Beaver Lake
Shiloh Museum of Ozark History
Monoliths under construction, December 1961.
Thomas E. Petermann Collection (S-2005-89-98)
Beaver Dam is not made of solid concrete. Tunnel-like access
galleries run along the length of the dam. To make an opening in
the concrete, a wood-and-plywood form was built and positioned
inside the monolith. The concrete was poured around the form and
once hardened, the form was removed.
Equipment is housed in the operator’s gallery. Below it is the lower
gallery which follows the bottom of the dam. To prevent water
seepage, the foundation rock is pressure-grouted through holes in
the gallery floor. Any seepage that does occur flows down drain
holes to a sump pump. To monitor tilt in the dam caused by the
water pressure of the reservoir, a tilt meter (a large plumb bob)
hangs in a vertical gallery and measurements are taken quarterly.
Building Beaver Lake
Shiloh Museum of Ozark History
Monoliths on the rise, July 1962.
Bettye Mohney Collection (S-86-124-38:7)
A number of problems had to be overcome at the dam site. To
transport heavy Portland cement to the mixing plant, a temporary
bridge across the White River and a road to the high bluff were
built.
To make best use of the quarry atop the bluff, the concrete
mixing plant was placed on a ledge halfway down the bluff face.
The height of the plant determined the height of the trestle and
the whirley cranes. But the cranes couldn’t reach the part of the
dam next to the bluff, so a stationary stiff-leg derrick was mounted
on the dam.
Because the first monoliths were constructed opposite the bluff, the
entire trestle had to be completed to move the concrete from the
mixing plant to the worksite. This meant that some of the trestle
footings had to stand in the flowing river. Holes were drilled into
the bedrock and reinforced concrete footings installed.
Building Beaver Lake
Shiloh Museum of Ozark History
The southern monoliths under construction, July 1962.
Thomas E. Petermann Collection (S-2005-89-113)
Beaver Dam is a concrete gravity dam. It uses its massive weight
to hold back the water in the reservoir. Roughly triangular in
shape, the dam has a wide base which counteracts the enormous
horizontal water pressure found at the bottom of the lake. At the
top of the triangle, where there is little water pressure, the dam is
narrow.
In order to anchor the dam to the limestone bluff, deep notches or
keyways were blasted into the rock face. The leftover rock was
used to build the earthen embankment anchoring the other side of
the dam, opposite the bluff.
Building Beaver Lake
Shiloh Museum of Ozark History
Slip forms used to construct the narrow, arched walls of the
spillway, April 1963. Below the gantry the dinkey locomotive
hauls a flatcar of concrete.
Thomas E. Petermann Collection (S-2005-89-117)
When water is added to the dry ingredients that make up
concrete, it causes it to harden, releasing heat which can make
the concrete crack. To prevent this at Beaver Dam, concrete was
poured at a temperature of 50 degrees Fahrenheit or less.
On the bluff above the mixing plant were several operations
designed to keep the concrete and its ingredients cool. A 1,200ton refrigeration plant made chilled water to mix into the concrete.
Chilled water was also sprayed onto the crushed rock as it moved
along the conveyor, and then the water was vibrated out before it
went into the mixing plant. To cool the coarse aggregate in the
storage bins, cold air was forced through it.
Ammonia refrigeration plants made flaked ice, which was stored in
an insulated storage house. The ice was moved along a screw
conveyor into the ice batcher in the mixing plant. During hot
weather more ice than water was added to the concrete mixture to
keep it cool.
Building Beaver Lake
Shiloh Museum of Ozark History
The spillway under construction, June 1963. Part of the
embankment is seen at right.
Bettye Mohney Collection (S-86-124-38:13)
An earthen embankment spans the gap between the concrete dam
and the sloping countryside around it. To build the embankment
a keyway was blasted into the bedrock. Then a cutoff wall made
of impervious (non-porous) clay was built to resist water seepage
from the lake. Pervious (porous) rock from White River gravel bars
was piled against the clay core to equalize water pressure.
Rock-and-earth fill material forms the massive sloping sides of the
embankment. Fill came from the dam excavation itself and from
several nearby pits, some of which contained human graves that
first had to be relocated by the Corps of Engineers before the fill
could be removed. Riprap (large rocks) was placed on top of the
embankment’s slopes to control erosion.
Building Beaver Lake
Shiloh Museum of Ozark History
The spillway under construction, April 1963. The earthen
embankment is seen at top right.
Thomas E. Petermann Collection (S-2005-89-116)
The lake is divided into two parts. The conservation pool, at 1,200
feet above sea level, holds water for power generation and
municipal and industrial use. At its normal water level, about
28,000 acres of land are covered by the lake. The ten feet
above the conservation pool is reserved for the flood pool. Often
empty, it can hold up to 300,000 acre-feet of floodwater.
When the flood pool fills and the Corps of Engineers determines
that floodwater needs to be released from the reservoir, seven
steel, curved, tainter gates at the top of the dam’s spillway are
raised electrically. Water flows down the arched spillway away
from the base of the dam and into the concrete stilling basin where
large baffles (blocks) disperse the energy of the water being
released downstream.
The spillway gates have been opened several times over the years
to regulate floodwaters. The sight of millions of gallons of water
rushing down the spillway is a spectacular event and always draws
a crowd.
Building Beaver Lake
Shiloh Museum of Ozark History
Building the turbine barrel in the powerhouse, February 1964.
Thomas E. Petermann Collection (S-2005-89-140)
Not only were the T.L. James and J.A. Jones construction companies
awarded the contract for the construction of the dam, they were
asked to take on the powerhouse and switchyard project as well,
after the company that originally won the bid was disqualified.
Although the James and Jones companies came to the project late,
the milestone dates—dates by which certain portions of the project
had to be completed—weren’t adjusted to reflect the delay. The
contractor scrambled to begin the project in April 1963, finishing it
one year later.
It helped that the contractor was using the critical path method
(CPM), a newly developed system for scheduling a variety of
activities in the least amount of time. Today such work is done by
computer; in the early 1960s the monthly CPM chart was created
manually.
Building Beaver Lake
Shiloh Museum of Ozark History
TOP: One of two turbines, May 1964.
Thomas E. Petermann Collection (S-2005-89-155)
BOTTOM: A scroll case under construction, before its connection to the penstock, Summer 1964.
Thomas E. Petermann Collection (S-2005-89-141)
To generate electricity, an intake gate on the lake side of the dam
is opened. Water flows into the penstock, a long tube that travels
downward and ends in a spiral scroll case. The mass of the
water and the acceleration it achieves by falling and circling
pushes against the turbine buckets, forcing the turbine to spin. A
generator connected to the turbine shaft creates electricity which
is sent to transformers in the switchyard and converted to a usable
voltage. The power is delivered over high-voltage lines to an
electric substation.
Beaver Dam’s powerhouse contains a small, in-house generator for
its own use and two large generators, each of which can produce
56,000 kilowatts of electricity, enough for 25,000 homes. The
decision to generate power is made by remote radio control from
Table Rock Dam. Hydroelectric power from Beaver Dam is sold
through the Southwest Power Administration, an agency of the U.S.
Department of Energy, to electric companies in Arkansas, Kansas,
Louisiana, Missouri, Oklahoma, and Texas.
Building Beaver Lake
Shiloh Museum of Ozark History
The powerhouse tailrace area, February 1964.
Thomas E. Petermann Collection (S-2005-89-137)
Under full-load conditions, the dam’s generators can produce 128
megawatts of electricity per hour (enough to supply power to a
town of 100,000), although this rarely happens. Beaver Dam is
a peaking plant, generating much of its power during the summer
when demand is heaviest.
Once the water has spent its energy by rotating the turbines that
turn the generators, it passes through the draft tube and out of the
powerhouse. The concrete training walls of the tailrace guide the
water into the White River. The water flows downstream to Table
Rock reservoir in Missouri, where once again it is stored and used
to generate electricity.
Federal law requires that a steady flow of water moves through
the dam each day to make up the flow of the White. Water may
flow through the draft tube or through the hydraulic sluice gate at
the base of the spillway. The released water is very cold,
making it a perfect temperature for the trout stocked by the
Arkansas Game and Fish Commission.
Building Beaver Lake
Shiloh Museum of Ozark History
TOP: The nearly complete dam and White River, 1964.
Springdale Chamber of Commerce Collection (S-85-287-6)
BOTTOM: The completed dam and Beaver Lake, circa 1966.
The switchyard is seen to the right of the spillway and
powerhouse.
Springdale Morning News Collection (S-84-13)
With the completion of the dam in March 1964 the waters of the
White River began to fill the reservoir. Commercial power
generation began in May 1965 and Beaver Lake was pronounced
complete in June 1966. Since then millions of people have
enjoyed fishing, swimming, and boating in the lake and camping
along its shores.
What does the future hold? Growing, water-thirsty and powerhungry cities and industries are impacting the lake as is a
prolonged drought. Will the lake meet our needs in the coming
decades?
Building Beaver Lake
Shiloh Museum of Ozark History