Flood Control

Though perhaps not as widely known as some of the other lakes in the state, Stockton Lake is still a great choice for vacationers and all those who want to have some fun on the water and in the great outdoors. Stockton Lake was constructed from 1963 to 1969, when the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers built Stockton Dam, blocking the Sac River and Little Sac River and creating this beautiful lake. Stockton Lake reached its normal operating elevation of 867 feet above sea level in December of 1971. The lake reaches across three Missouri counties: Cedar, Dade, and Polk. Stockton Lake was built to provide hydroelectric power and flood control to this area of southwestern Missouri. In 1998 the lake became an additional source of drinking water for the City of Springfield, about 50 miles southeast of Stockton. The Dam when turning at full power creates a large amount of power for the surrounding Stockton area.

Furnishing troops to both sides, Cedar Country was torn by violence during the Civil War and little of the town of “old” Stockton remained intact after the war. Confederate General Joseph Shelby routed a Federal garrison and burned the courthouse on October 5, 1863. The access to the Stockton Lake dam is east of the town of Stockton on HWY 32. The access road goes across the dam and offers a stunning view of the lake from one side of the road and the surrounding countryside on the other. At the dam are the bedrock cores that were drilled during construction of the dam. The rock is estimated to be about 4500,000,000 years old