On this day in 1964- 56 years ago- construction began on the Toledo Bend Reservoir. The reservoir is the largest lake in Texas and is formed by the Toledo Bend Dam eighty miles northeast of Beaumont on the Sabine River. The reservoir occupies parts of Newton, Sabine, Panola, and Shelby counties in Texas and Sabine and De Soto parishes in Louisiana. The area is rich in Native American history, and by 1967 more than 100 archeological sites had been found at the Toledo Bend project. The dam was completed in 1969. With a drainage area of 7,178 square miles, the Toledo Bend Reservoir conserves water for municipal, industrial, agricultural, and recreational purposes and stretches for well over 100 river miles. Recreational areas around the lake, including Willow Oak Recreation Area, Indian Mounds Wilderness Area, Ragtown, and Lakeview, provide boat ramps and picnicking and camping facilities.
