Lake Size: 15,700 acres (6,400 ha)
Latitude: 39.083333
Longitude: -96.897778
Lake Level Above Sea Level: 1,148 ft (350 m)

Information: Milford Lake was authorized by the Flood Control Act of 1954 as a ""multi-purpose"" project. The purposes include flood control, water supply, water quality, navigation, and recreation/wildlife. Construction of the dam began July 13, 1962 at river mile 8.3 on the Republican River. The dam consists of a rolled earth fill embankment (15 million cubic yards) with an ""uncontrolled"" spillway on the right bank. The term ""uncontrolled"" refers to the lack of spillway gates such as those at Tuttle Creek Lake in Manhattan, KS. The outlet works are an intake tower, a gated single 21-foot (6.4 m) horseshoe conduit, and a stilling basin (40 thousand cubic yards of concrete). What do the years 1849, 1869, 1903, 1935, 1951, and 1993 have in common? They are all record setting, historical floods for this area. If we were to merely list the years in which a flood occurred, we would almost have to list every year from the first recorded flood to the present date. Flood History Native Americans of long ago talked of a great flood in 1781, however the 1849 flood was virtually the first major flood event reported by early European settlers. A newspaper account tells of an old man who as a youth was an eyewitness to the 1849 flood. He reported immense herds of buffalo being drowned and washed up into the tops of trees along the rivers. Due to a heavy frost immediately following, the buffalo carcasses were preserved long enough for the flood survivors to eat well until the spring thaw. In the spring when the carcasses began to rot, it was suspected that they were the cause of a cholera outbreak. Inhabitants Before 1800 The Milford Lake region for the most part has been consistently inhabited. Areas with an abundance of food (both wildlife and plant life), constant water supply, moderate climate, and diverse topography have been attracting mankind throughout the ages. Here is a breakdown of the people living in the Milford Lake region before the 1800s.