Located in the heart of Northeast Oklahoma's Green Country, Pensacola
Dam and Grand Lake O' the Cherokees provide flood control for the Grand
River and produce hydroelectric power for Grand River Dam Authority.
Dam and Grand Lake O' the Cherokees provide flood control for the Grand
River and produce hydroelectric power for Grand River Dam Authority.
Known as the Grand River Project, the facility was the first hydroelectric system in Oklahoma. It started
as one man's dream. In the late 1800's, Henry C. Holderman first envisioned building a dam on the
Grand River to bring electric power to the Cherokee Nation in Indian Territory. In an effort to make his
dream a reality, Holderman, his brother Bert and two student engineers from Spaulding Institute in
Muskogee traveled down the river in a homemade, crude houseboat to complete the first engineering
survey.
Holderman worked for years to acquire financing for the project and came close on a couple of
occasions. While Holderman watched, a group of men known as the "Rainbow Chasers" turned the
dream into a reality. These men, including Jack Rorschach and George Schaefer of Vinita and Clay
as one man's dream. In the late 1800's, Henry C. Holderman first envisioned building a dam on the
Grand River to bring electric power to the Cherokee Nation in Indian Territory. In an effort to make his
dream a reality, Holderman, his brother Bert and two student engineers from Spaulding Institute in
Muskogee traveled down the river in a homemade, crude houseboat to complete the first engineering
survey.
Holderman worked for years to acquire financing for the project and came close on a couple of
occasions. While Holderman watched, a group of men known as the "Rainbow Chasers" turned the
dream into a reality. These men, including Jack Rorschach and George Schaefer of Vinita and Clay
COMPLETED 1940
Length of dam and spillways / 6,565 feet
Length of multiple-arch section / 4,284 feet
Width of hollow buttress (52 buttresses) / 24 feet
Clear arch span (51 arches) / 60 feet
Maximum height of dam / 150 feet
Generation capacity / 106,000 kilowatts at present
111,000 kilowatts when upgrade is completed
QUANTITIES
Earth excavation / 2,870,000 cubic yards
Rock excavation / 590,000 cubic yards
Cement / 655,000 barrels
Concrete / 535,000 cubic yards
Reinforcing steel / 20,000,000 pounds
Structural steel / 10,000,000 pounds
Copper / 75,000 pounds
POWERHOUSE
Length /279 feet
Width / 72 feet
Height / 80 feet
GRAND LAKE O' THE CHEROKEES*
Elevation / 745.0 feet (above sea level)
Area / 46, 500 acres
Capacity / 1,672,000 acre-feet
Mean Depth / 35.9 feet
Maximum Depth / 164 feet
*Normal pool
Length of dam and spillways / 6,565 feet
Length of multiple-arch section / 4,284 feet
Width of hollow buttress (52 buttresses) / 24 feet
Clear arch span (51 arches) / 60 feet
Maximum height of dam / 150 feet
Generation capacity / 106,000 kilowatts at present
111,000 kilowatts when upgrade is completed
QUANTITIES
Earth excavation / 2,870,000 cubic yards
Rock excavation / 590,000 cubic yards
Cement / 655,000 barrels
Concrete / 535,000 cubic yards
Reinforcing steel / 20,000,000 pounds
Structural steel / 10,000,000 pounds
Copper / 75,000 pounds
POWERHOUSE
Length /279 feet
Width / 72 feet
Height / 80 feet
GRAND LAKE O' THE CHEROKEES*
Elevation / 745.0 feet (above sea level)
Area / 46, 500 acres
Capacity / 1,672,000 acre-feet
Mean Depth / 35.9 feet
Maximum Depth / 164 feet
*Normal pool
Babb and Owen Butler of Grove, made several trips to
Washington, D.C., to secure funding for the Pensacola Dam.
With the help of Representative Wesley E. Disney and W.R.
Holway, President Franklin D. Roosevelt approved funding
on September 18, 1937. Following President Roosevelt's
approval of funds, Holway and Neuffer, engineers for the
project, began survey and engineering work on October 25,
1937. Massman Construction Company of Kansas City,
Missouri, was selected as the major contractor for the dam
and powerhouse.
After six months of preparation, Massman began pouring the
first of 510,000 cubic yards of concrete on December 30,
1938. The 24-hour-a-day continuous pour was completed 20
months later. The final openings in the dam under arches
seven and eight were closed on March 21, 1940. The lake
was full by the end of that summer. Governor Leon Chase
Phillips opened the road across the dam on August 13, 1940.
The entire contract on the dam was completed on October 4,
1940. Twenty-one months and 4 days after it began.
Pensacola Dam is the longest multiple arch dam in the world,
spanning approximately one mile. The structure's 51 arches
and 21 spillways combine for total length of 5,145 feet. Each
arch has a clear span of 60 feet. Floodgates measuring 25
feet by 36 feet control water through each of the spillways.
These gates are operated by two 60-ton hoists. The dam
towers as much as 150 feet above the riverbed. Engineers
chose a multiple-arch design for the Pensacola Dam
Washington, D.C., to secure funding for the Pensacola Dam.
With the help of Representative Wesley E. Disney and W.R.
Holway, President Franklin D. Roosevelt approved funding
on September 18, 1937. Following President Roosevelt's
approval of funds, Holway and Neuffer, engineers for the
project, began survey and engineering work on October 25,
1937. Massman Construction Company of Kansas City,
Missouri, was selected as the major contractor for the dam
and powerhouse.
After six months of preparation, Massman began pouring the
first of 510,000 cubic yards of concrete on December 30,
1938. The 24-hour-a-day continuous pour was completed 20
months later. The final openings in the dam under arches
seven and eight were closed on March 21, 1940. The lake
was full by the end of that summer. Governor Leon Chase
Phillips opened the road across the dam on August 13, 1940.
The entire contract on the dam was completed on October 4,
1940. Twenty-one months and 4 days after it began.
Pensacola Dam is the longest multiple arch dam in the world,
spanning approximately one mile. The structure's 51 arches
and 21 spillways combine for total length of 5,145 feet. Each
arch has a clear span of 60 feet. Floodgates measuring 25
feet by 36 feet control water through each of the spillways.
These gates are operated by two 60-ton hoists. The dam
towers as much as 150 feet above the riverbed. Engineers
chose a multiple-arch design for the Pensacola Dam
because materials were scarce and, therefore, expensive in the late 30's.This type of construction
required a great deal of manpower, but in the days of the Great Depression, manpower was an abundant
resource. Due to the hard times of the Depression, thousands flocked to the proposed construction site
long before work ever began, hoping for employment. Approximately 3,000 men worked on the project.
"Common" or "blue collar" laborers earned about $16 per week. In order to begin construction, 1.6 million
cubic yards of earth and rock were excavated. Building the dam required nearly 23.9 million pounds of
reinforcing and structural steel and 625,000 barrels of cement to make 510,000 cubic yards of concrete.
Before the dam was built, people believed the power produced there would be more than GRDA could
ever market. Today, GRDA's five generating facilities have a generating capacity of 1,480,000 kilowatts;
fifteen times the generating capacity of the Pensacola Dam. Operated by GRDA, the dam's powerhouse
contains six hydroelectric generating units with a total generation capacity of 96,000 kilowatts. Grand
Lake O' the Cherokees is one of the most popular tourist attractions in Oklahoma. The 43,500-acre lake
has about 1,300 miles of shoreline, more than any other lake in the state. Its wooded coves and rolling
hills have made it one of the most desirable retirement areas in the United States. Different than most
lakes, private ownership of land extends to the water's edge.
Visitors and residents alike enjoy a variety of activities on Grand Lake, including boating, bass fishing,
swimming, scuba diving, jet skiing and water skiing. Created in 1935 by the fifteenth Oklahoma
Legislature, the Grand River Dam Authority was established as a "conservation and reclamation district."
GRDA is Northeast Oklahoma's public power supplier. While an agency of the State of Oklahoma, the
Authority is self-supporting, funded primarily by electric revenues rather than by taxes. In addition to the
Pensacola Dam, GRDA generated hydroelectric power at the Robert S. Kerr Dam, and the Salina Pumped
Storage Project and produced power with two thermal generation units at the Coal-Fired Complex near
Chouteau, Oklahoma.
required a great deal of manpower, but in the days of the Great Depression, manpower was an abundant
resource. Due to the hard times of the Depression, thousands flocked to the proposed construction site
long before work ever began, hoping for employment. Approximately 3,000 men worked on the project.
"Common" or "blue collar" laborers earned about $16 per week. In order to begin construction, 1.6 million
cubic yards of earth and rock were excavated. Building the dam required nearly 23.9 million pounds of
reinforcing and structural steel and 625,000 barrels of cement to make 510,000 cubic yards of concrete.
Before the dam was built, people believed the power produced there would be more than GRDA could
ever market. Today, GRDA's five generating facilities have a generating capacity of 1,480,000 kilowatts;
fifteen times the generating capacity of the Pensacola Dam. Operated by GRDA, the dam's powerhouse
contains six hydroelectric generating units with a total generation capacity of 96,000 kilowatts. Grand
Lake O' the Cherokees is one of the most popular tourist attractions in Oklahoma. The 43,500-acre lake
has about 1,300 miles of shoreline, more than any other lake in the state. Its wooded coves and rolling
hills have made it one of the most desirable retirement areas in the United States. Different than most
lakes, private ownership of land extends to the water's edge.
Visitors and residents alike enjoy a variety of activities on Grand Lake, including boating, bass fishing,
swimming, scuba diving, jet skiing and water skiing. Created in 1935 by the fifteenth Oklahoma
Legislature, the Grand River Dam Authority was established as a "conservation and reclamation district."
GRDA is Northeast Oklahoma's public power supplier. While an agency of the State of Oklahoma, the
Authority is self-supporting, funded primarily by electric revenues rather than by taxes. In addition to the
Pensacola Dam, GRDA generated hydroelectric power at the Robert S. Kerr Dam, and the Salina Pumped
Storage Project and produced power with two thermal generation units at the Coal-Fired Complex near
Chouteau, Oklahoma.
| Copyright 2006 - Grand Lake Area Chamber Of Commerce 918-782-3214 www.grandlakechamber.org |
| Photos by James Easton www.grand-performance.com |
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