Yes, Lake Texoma is entirely man-made. It was created by the construction of Denison Dam on the Red River, a project completed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in January 1944 at a cost of $54 million. The reservoir filled naturally behind the dam as water accumulated from the Red River and Washita River, eventually forming one of the largest lakes in the United States.
How Lake Texoma Was Created
The Flood Control Act of 1938 authorized federal funding for Denison Dam, and the Army Corps of Engineers established a district office that same year to oversee the project. The dam was built across the Red River near Denison, Texas, blocking the natural flow of water and allowing a massive reservoir to form upstream. When construction wrapped up in early 1944, the lake began filling with water from the Red River flowing in from the west and the Washita River entering from the north. Several smaller creeks, including Big Mineral Creek, Little Mineral Creek, and Buncombe Creek, also feed the lake.
The reservoir’s name combines “Tex” and “oma” because it straddles the Texas-Oklahoma border. On the Oklahoma side, it touches Bryan, Marshall, Johnston, and Love counties. On the Texas side, it sits in Grayson and Cooke counties. In 2024, the official state border was actually adjusted so that a North Texas water district pump station on the lake would no longer be split between two states.
Size and Depth
Lake Texoma covers about 74,686 acres of surface area at its normal water level of 617 feet above sea level. That’s roughly 117 square miles of water. Its conservation capacity (the amount of water stored for regular use) is about 2.5 million acre-feet, while the total designed storage capacity during flood conditions reaches 5.39 million acre-feet. The deepest point of the lake is 112 feet at normal pool level, making it the twelfth largest lake by capacity in the country.
Why It Was Built
Flood control was the primary motivation. The Red River basin had a long history of devastating floods, and damming the river created a massive buffer that could absorb surges during heavy rains. In 2019, for example, the lake’s water level rose more than 12 feet above its normal elevation during spring flooding before gradually returning to normal by late August.
The dam also generates hydroelectric power. Denison Dam houses two generating units with a combined capacity of 80 megawatts. Beyond flood control and power, the lake serves as a major water supply source for communities in both states.
Towns Lost Beneath the Water
Creating a lake this size meant permanently flooding existing communities. At least four towns were submerged when the reservoir filled: Woodville in Oklahoma, and Preston, Hagerman, and Cedar Mills in Texas. Railroads, cemeteries, public utilities, and highways all had to be relocated or rerouted before the water rose. Some residents of Woodville moved to a new settlement called New Woodville, which had just 132 people as of the 2010 census.
The old town sites haven’t completely disappeared. During periods of low water, headstones from the Woodville Cemetery have been spotted along the shoreline, along with other structures buried under decades of silt. The former Woodville site is now known as a productive fishing spot for largemouth bass.
Unusually Salty for a Freshwater Lake
One thing that makes Lake Texoma distinctive among inland reservoirs is its elevated salinity. The Red River picks up dissolved chloride and sulfate from natural salt springs in the western headwaters of the basin. Some of those springs produce water saltier than the ocean. By the time that water reaches Lake Texoma, the salt concentrations are high enough to affect the lake’s ecology and, notably, its fishery. The salinity actually supports a thriving population of striped bass, a species more commonly associated with coastal waters, which has made the lake a major destination for anglers.
Recreation and Popularity
Lake Texoma draws more than 6 million visitors per year, making it one of the most popular federal recreation sites in the country. Fishing is the headline attraction, particularly for striped bass, but the lake also supports boating, camping, swimming, and wildlife observation across dozens of parks and marinas on both the Texas and Oklahoma shores. The Army Corps of Engineers manages the lake and surrounding public lands, maintaining access points and recreation areas around its extensive shoreline.
Over time, sedimentation has reduced the lake’s original storage capacity by roughly 22 percent, a common issue with aging reservoirs. Sediment carried in by the rivers gradually settles on the lake bottom, slowly shrinking the volume of water the reservoir can hold. Even with that reduction, Lake Texoma remains one of the largest and most heavily visited man-made lakes in the southern United States.