Rend Lake - NB rest area - Benton, IL
Posted by: 
YoSam.
N 38° 01.841 W 088° 55.437
16S E 331145 N 4210966
Historic marker inside the rest area building.
Waymark Code: WMP765
Location: Illinois, United States
Date Posted: 07/13/2015
Views: 5
County of marker: Franklin County
Location of marker: I-57, NR m/m 74, Rend Lake Rest Area, Benton
Marker erected by: IlDoT
Marker text: Rend Lake, named after Rend City near the main dam, was completed in 1970. It is an 18,900 acres reservoir with 162 miles of shoreline. The lake is 13 miles long and has a maximum width of three miles. The maximum depth is 35 feet. The main dam at the south end of the lake is 54 feet above the Big Muddy River bed and is more than two miles long. The lake provides drinking water to 300,000 users in 60 communities and 7 counties.
In addition to offering a full range of facilities for boaters and fisherman, the Rend Lake complex offers camping areas, picnic sites, nature trails, swimming beaches and an 18-hole golf course. The U.S. Corps of Engineers sponsors special events at the Visitors' Center near the dam and seasonal interpretive programs at all Corps' campgrounds