Shoreline Length (Miles): 95 km (59 mi)
Deepest Depth: 4 m (14 ft)
Latitude: 38.233333
Longitude: -95.766667
Lake Level Above Sea Level: 316 m (1039 ft)
Counties: Coffey County
Cities: Burlington
Lake Management: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

Information: The Neosho Valley flooded over 45 times in the 30 years leading up to 1950 when Congress would authorized the project for what was to be "Strawn Dam." Ironically, it was authorized and awaiting construction during the Great Flood of 1951, which inundated downtown Burlington and Strawn, Kansas where some locations had floodwater 30 feet deep. Originally the project was authorized by Congress under the Flood Control Act of 1950 and called "Strawn Dam" in reference to Strawn, the town located where the reservoir is today. However, in 1958 the project was renamed "John Redmond Dam and Reservoir" in honor of the publisher of the Burlington Daily Republican and a beloved Kansan who trained under William Allen White. Redmond had been a longtime champion for flood control and water conservation along the Neosho River which had started to become a reality with the authorization of four dams in 1950, including this one. The towns of Strawn and Ottumwa was relocated six miles to the east on higher ground and named New Strawn at the time the dam was constructed. The entire design and construction was done by the Tulsa District Corps of Engineers at $29,264,000. The dam began to undergo construction on June 18, 1959 and went into service on November 17, 1964 several weeks before final completion to protect the Neosho River Valley from the expected winter and spring floods.