GRDA began construction of the Markham Ferry Dam in December 1961. This was the second of GRDA's hydroelectric projects along the Grand River. The first was Pensacola Dam, which created Grand Lake o' the Cherokees. The Markham Ferry project was completed in April 1964.
Namesake Controversy
The lake was named for Washington E. Hudson, an early-day Tulsa attorney, Oklahoma state legislator, and member of the Board of the Grand River Dam Authority from 1955 until he died in 1964. In 1923, he founded the Tulsa Law School. Researchers reported in 2018 that Wash Hudson was an incorporator of the Tulsa Benevolent Society in 1922, which established the Ku Klux Klan in Tulsa in the following year. A GRDA spokesman told the reporter that GRDA would investigate the feasibility of renaming the lake, in view of these reports. He had said that the utility had never before received any complaints about the lake name, nor about Mr. Hudson himself. GRDA spokesman John Wiscaver says the agency investigated Hudson's background after being approached by the online publicationThe Frontier, which first reported the proposed name change. Wiscaver said it's "fairly clear" Hudson was involved with the KKK and the GRDA supports the bill. The lake would become Lake Markham in honor of a Cherokee family that operated a ferry service on a portion of Grand River that is now part of the lake.
Robert S. Kerr Dam structure
The Robert S. Kerr Dam structure is a concrete gravity and earth filled embankment with a concrete ogee weir spillway. The length is, including the powerhouse,and the height is about above the stream bed. The spillway has seventeen gates, each, operated by two traveling gate hoists. Its capacity is per second.
Lake description
The lake has a surface area of, a shoreline of, and a "normal" level of above sea level. The normal storage capacity is. The top of the flood control pool is at above sea level. Kerr dam has a crest elevation of above sea level.
Power generation
The powerhouse has four hydroelectric turbines, providing a total capacity of 114,000 kW. GRDA states that an average year can provide 211 million kWh. Lake Hudson also is the water source for the nearby Salina Pumped Storage Project.
Snowdale State Park
Snowdale State Park is located on Lake Hudson in Eastern Oklahoma. A variety of water sports are permitted. Other recreational activities are camping, hiking, swimming and volleyball. It is popular for bass, catfish, perch and crappie fishing. Facilities include a lighted boat ramp, swimming beach, playground, volleyball court, picnic tables, a group picnic shelter and a comfort station with showers. The park offers 17 RV sites with water and electric hookups and 20 tent sites. The campgrounds and restrooms are closed for the winter. The park is about west of Salina on SH 20. It is in area and was built in 1959.
