Webster Dam

Rooks County, Kansas

Webster Dam is a dam in Rooks County of north-central Kansas, eight miles west of the town of Stockton.

The flood control dam was a 1956 project of the United States Bureau of Reclamation, an earthen dam with concrete spillway and a structural height of 154 feet,[1] partly the result of the Great Flood of 1951. The dam impounds the South Fork Solomon River.

The Webster Reservoir has a total capacity of 260,740 acre-feet and is used for recreation. The west end of the reservoir is the location of the state Webster Wildlife Area, and the northern shore is the site of Webster State Park for camping and boating.[2]

Webster

Webster Dam was named after the town of Webster which was founded in 1885. The town was re-located two miles southeast of the original location. Many residents however moved to other places. It was bypassed by US Route 24 and since the late 1960s the new Webster has withered becoming a small village. It contain five resident families and two vacation homes. The former church and school are now private property. Reportedly when the Reservoir water is low enough, you can still walk the streets of old Webster.[3]

References

  1. ↑ http://www.usbr.gov/projects/Facility.jsp?fac_Name=Webster+Dam&groupName=General
  2. ↑ http://www.kdwpt.state.ks.us/State-Parks/Locations/Webster
  3. ↑ Jean Lindsey (2010). "History of Webster". Solomon Valley Highway 24 Heritage Alliance. State Library of Kansas. Retrieved June 24, 2014.

Coordinates: 39°24′32″N 99°25′25″W / 39.4088°N 99.4235°W