Bull Shoals Lake: How it all began

Pontiac Dock as described in the old brochure: 100 Aluminum boats to serve the Pontiac area. Motors, baits, tackle, gas and guides. Bring your own boat and rent a stall. Reasonable rates. Floyd Crawford & San Robbins, Prop. Phone Gainesville, Osborn 9-2173.

The Pontiac Park property and the property that is now under water that the Corps of Engineers leased to build Pontiac Boat Dock was originally patented by John D. Porter of Springfield, Missouri on April 6, 1908. Porter patented several pieces of property in the Pontiac area on that same day. Most were not adjacent to each other and were acquired a little later than a lot of the other property in Pontiac. He must have just been picking up random properties that were left in the area. This particular tract was all of a particular 40-acre tract east of the Little North Fork of the White River, which covers most of the campground and the cove in which the marina is located. The river ran along the bluffs just north of the campground.

 Bull Shoals Lake from the Pontiac Bluffs as it looks today. 

Porter conveyed several tracts of land including the Pontiac Park property to Missouri Lincoln Trust Company of St. Louis, Missouri on May 11, 1908. William Tatlow acquired the property from Missouri Lincoln Trust on July 6, 1914. Tatlow held on to the property for several years before conveying it to Mr. Bilyeu in 1943. The Federal Government must have been purchasing properties that would be flooded by this time. Bilyeu only kept it for a couple of years before selling it to S.C. Wilbanks in 1945, who then sold it to Jasper and Maye Turnbo in 1947. With the changing of so many hands, I wonder if people were hoping to make a big profit on the land when the lake went in.

On August 24, 1951, the Turnbos sold the Pontiac Park property and some adjacent property that is now covered by water totaling 151.8 acres for $5,750 to the Corps of Engineers. When the Corps acquired property for the lake and surrounding area, they tried to negotiate a price with the owner. If an agreement could not be reached, the property was condemned and taken from the owners at what they considered to be a fair market value. During my research for surveying work around the lake I have seen some deeds written so that the property reverts back to the original owner if the lake ever goes away. Wouldn't that be interesting...

Bull Shoals Dam, circa 1952

Bull Shoals Dam was built to impound the White River for flood control and power production. It was built in response to severe flooding on the White River Valley in 1915 and 1927. President Roosevelt authorized the construction of the dam in the Flood Control Act of 1938. The dam is one of the largest solid concrete dams in the country and was the fifth largest in the world at its inception. Work on the dam began in 1947, was completed in 1951 and was dedicated by President Harry S. Truman in 1952. At least seven small family cemeteries and 20 larger ones were relocated to accommodate the new lake.

The Turnbo Cemetery was one of many cemeteries relocated to accommodate the lake.

Opinions on building the dam were not unanimous. It was said by some, "The man above the dam didn't favor a dam. The man below the dam favored it. The man at the dam didn't give a damn." In doing the research about the building of the dam I ran across an interesting story about the mystery of the Due Eddy Spring. As the lake began to fill, a noticeable increase in the flow at the Due Eddy Spring was observed. Then in 1954 when the lake level declined due to a prolonged drought, reports came in that water was running into holes along the shore of Jimmies Creek. The Corps conducted a study that probably took five years and determined that the loss of water was enough to try and plug the hole. They spent much more time and money on this theory, but when the lake filled again, the pressure at the spring increased again. The mystery remained unsolved. A spokesman for the Corps says there is really no mystery. There are some sinkholes on the Jimmies Creek arm of the lake that flow into Due Eddy Spring, and when the lake level reaches about 645, whirlpools are visible.

There are so many stories to tell about the history of Pontiac Boat Dock. I plan on breaking it down into several posts. This is the first.

Written by Cap'n T. Morgan