History
The
Ouachita (pronounced “Wash-It-Ah”) Valley was first inhabited
by Native American tribes including the Washita, Tensas, Chickasaw, Caddo,
Osage, Cherokee and Choctaw. The earliest settlers into the area were
the French in the late 1700s. By the early 1800s other settlers began
arriving from east of the Mississippi into the vast, uncharted wilderness along
the Ouachita River. Hernando DeSoto was one of the first explorers to
document life along the Ouachita. After the Louisiana Purchase in 1803,
President Thomas Jefferson commissioned the Hunter-Dunbar Expedition to explore
and chart the Ouachita River. In 1836 Arkansas became a state and Garland
and Montgomery counties were formed soon after. The Ouachita River became
a highway for transportation and commerce, including steamboat travel.
One
of the problems settlers to the area faced was flooding along the Ouachita
River. The river dropped sharply from Blakely Mountain to Arkadelphia
and this caused the stream flow to vary considerably. In July of 1870
Congress authorized the first of many studies of the river to determine what
could be done to reduce flooding and improve navigation. Government
engineers recommended a series of dams be constructed on the upper Ouachita
but the improvements to navigation did not justify the investment of taxpayer
money. However, private enterprise began to express interest in constructing
the dams in order to generate electrical power. In 1924 Arkansas Power
and Light created Remmel Dam and Lake Catherine. Carpenter Dam and Lake
Hamilton were created in 1932. The third dam was to be constructed at
Blakely Mountain and be a joint effort between Arkansas Power and Light and
the U.S. Government in order to develop water power and create flood control. In
1939 Arkansas Power and Light requested to delay the dam’s construction
due to economic problems. The Federal Power Commission denied the request
and terminated Arkansas Power and Light’s permit to construct the dam
in 1941.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers received authorization
to construct Blakely Mountain Dam by the Flood Control Act of 1944. Funds
for the project were appropriated in 1946, and work began soon after. The
emergency spillway was constructed first, followed by flood control and power
tunnels to redirect the river. Construction of the earth-filled dam and
intake structure began in 1950 and was completed in 1952, one year ahead of
schedule. The flood gates were closed in July of 1952 and Lake Ouachita
began to fill with water. The power plant was constructed once the lake
level reached the working level of the intake towers and the first electrical
power was generated on July 17, 1955.
The official dedication of Blakely Mountain Dam occurred
on July 4, 1956. An estimated 10,000 people were in attendance for the
festivities. This began Blakely Dam and Lake Ouachita’s service
to the nation providing power, flood control, water supply, and recreation.
The Communities Left Behind
In
order to create Lake Ouachita, the federal government had to obtain the land
in the dam and reservoir area. Land was purchased from the dam upstream,
in the order it was to be inundated. Roads were rerouted and graves
were moved to new cemeteries out of the reservoir area. Landowners cut
the good timber and brush was cut and burned or left for fish habitat. The
timber that was not cut is still visible today during low water periods. Buildings
such as schools, houses and churches were demolished or moved. The only
remaining structure is the Buckville Baptist Church. The church was rolled
on pine logs a quarter-mile to the north side of the cemetery, where it still
stands today. The only things remaining of the communities of Cedar Glades
(Harold), Flea Bend (Aultville), Oakwood (Chalybeate Spring), and White Plains
are the people and the memories.
