Tuttle Creek Lake

Tuttle Creek Lake is a reservoir on the Big Blue River 5 miles (8 km) north of Manhattan, in the Flint Hills region of northeast Kansas. It was built and is operated by the Army Corps of Engineers for the purpose of flood control.

The lake is bordered by Tuttle Creek State Park, which features 1,200 acres (4.9 km²) of recreational areas, including nature trails, camping sites, and an artificial beach. The state park also hosts the Country Stampede Music Festival every summer.

Geography

The border between Riley County (on the west) and Pottawatomie County (on the east) is submerged underneath the lake. The dam is roughly two miles north of Manhattan, Kansas, and is crossed by Kansas Highway 13. Near the river delta at the lakes northern end, a bridge carrying Kansas Highway 16 spans the lake.

History

The construction of Tuttle Creek Dam as a Corps of Engineers project was given impetus by the Great Flood of 1951, which inundated downtown Manhattan. Nevertheless, the project met with heavy opposition from landowners whose land faced flooding. Residents of the Blue Valley organized opposition under the phrase "Let's quit this dam foolishness," and the campaign led to victory for Democrat Howard Shultz Miller in the U.S. House of Representatives in 1952. Although the opposition was heated, it failed to ultimately stop the dam.