|
 Mammoth Spring State Park - Mammoth Spring, Arkansas Posted by:  iconions
N 36° 29.711 W 091° 32.080
15S E 631240 N 4039872
This 198 foot long dam creates a 9.5 acre lake near the town of Mammoth Spring, Arkansas. The dam and lake are the basis of Mammoth Spring State Park.
Waymark Code: WMWB0N
Location: Arkansas, United States
Date Posted: 08/05/2017
Views: 2
Mammoth Spring State Park is a 62.5-acre (25.3 ha) Arkansas state park in Fulton County, Arkansas in the United States. The park is located surrounding National Natural Landmark of the same name to provide recreation and interpretation for visitors. The park offers fishing, boating and hiking in addition to an Arkansas Welcome Center and restored 1886 St. Louis–San Francisco Railway (Frisco) depot operating as a railroad museum. The site became a state park in 1957, but the park continued to add area until 1975.
Originating in the park, Mammoth Spring averages a flow rate of 9,780,000 US gallons (37,000,000 L) per hour of 58 °F (14 °C) water. Rainfall in southern Missouri percolates into the ground, flows through Grand Gulf State Park and reemerges as Mammoth Spring in Arkansas.
n 1887, the Mammoth Spring Improvement and Water Power Company constructed the 198-foot (60 m) limestone dam which created Spring Lake. This dam initially powered a flour mill, cotton mill, and cotton gin. This property was acquired in 1925 by the Arkansas-Missouri Power Company, which constructed a hydroelectric facility that was operated until 1972. The company donated this property to the state to become part of the state park. These facilities, including the lake, are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Prior to 1957, the Mammoth Spring Cattle Sales Barn was co-owned and run by local entrepreneur Kenneth "Bert" Bishop and his associate, roughly on the site where the tourist information center now stands. Local farmers would routinely come to the site to sell livestock and other wares, such as Howard Green, who sold home-made walking sticks. Following this period in history, the State legislature voted to condemn the land and turn the spot into a state park. 1957, the park was established. The original Frisco Depot, and 1885 Victorian train station, was restored in 1971. The depot now functions as a museum, containing artifacts and memorabilia; it was listed on the National Register in 1992.
The park offers a visitor center/Arkansas Welcome Center to interpret the history of the region. A short walking trail leads to the restored train depot that formerly provided a connection for the city of Mammoth Spring to the Frisco Railway. Items of historical significance from the surrounding area, including a restored caboose, are on display in the museum. The former hydroelectric plant and mill nearby allow visitors to understand the economic importance the spring had to the early development of the nearby city. A pavilion, picnic areas, baseball field, and playground are available for visitors as well. Seasonal boat rentals on Spring Lake can be obtained at the visitor center.
- Wikipedia Entry
Constructed in 1884-88 by the Mammoth Spring Improvement and Water Power Company, the Mammoth Spring Dam powered the Mammoth Spring Roller Mill and Elevator, which ground soft wheat into flour, and the Mammoth Spring Cotton Mill and Cotton Gin. Turbines, which provided power to the mills, were located in turbine wells on each end of the dam; the roller mil1 was located adjacent to the south turbine well, while the cotton mill was near the north turbine well. The dam, located about one-eighth of a mile south of the Mammoth Spring head, creates a 9.5 acre water reservoir called Spring Lake. Mammoth Spring, Arkansas's largest natural spring, produces an average of 9.78 million gallons of water per hour at a constant temperature of 58 degrees Fahenheit. Because the water flow from the spring is constant, water continuously flows over the dam weir. Mammoth Spring is the source ofthe Spring River, whch flows south through the extreme eastern portion of Fulton County, eventually emptying into the Black River. The Spring River's dependable flow year-round made it ideal for powering manufacturing industries in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, and it is now a popular destination for fishamen and canoeist & kayakers for the same reason.
The Mammoth Spring Dam is made of cut limestone set in a concrete footing on solid rock. The dam is approximately 198' in length, including the two turbine wells, with a 10' base and a 7' spillway. Steel dowel pins were drilled into the limestone for additional support. A cut limestone turbine well measuring 30' x 30' is situated on each end of the dam. Each turbine well contained three sluice gates, which directed water to one mine. In addition, two sluice gates were evenly spaced along the bottom of the dam spillway.
A reinforced concrete walkway with redwood sails extends along the top of the dam and is supported by 3" square steel tubing anchored to the limestone. The walkway is about 3.5' above the top of the concrete weir, which runs the length of the dam spillway, allowing water to flow continuously over the spillway between the walkway and the weir.
Mammoth Spring, Arkansas's largest natural spring and the seventh-largest spring in the world, constantly flows out of the ground about eighty feet below the surface of Spring Lake and forms the northern spring pool or spring hmd. The spring head flows over two small weirs and around an island to form Spring Lake. Mammoth Spring produces an average of 9.78 million gallons of crystal clear water each hour at a constant temperature of 58 degrees Fahrenheit, Spring Lake was originally around 16 acres in size, but it has been reduced to about 9.5 acres. A weigh station was to be constructed near the springhead in 1972 just to the east of U.S. Hwy. 63, so the western portion of Spring Lake was filIed with dirt to create enough space for it. The weigh station was never built, but the volume of Spring Lake was reduced. In addition, an island was built in the middle of the lake in the mid-1970s and a concrete cap was removed from the top of the dam, which further reduced the size of the lake.
- National Register Application Visit Instructions:
To post a visit log to this waymark you need to visit and write about the actual physical location. Any pictures you take at the location would be great, as well.
|