October 3, 2013
Greers Ferry Dam, named after a ferry operated on the Little Red River near where it was built, was completed in 1962. The dedication, which took place on Oct. 3, 1963, was attended by President John F. Kennedy. It would be one of the president’s last major public appearances before his assassination.
The dam measures 1,704 feet in length and stands 243 feet above the streambed of the
Little Red River. It cost $46.5 million and created
Greers Ferry Lake which measures between 30,000 and 40,000 acres, depending on water level, and over 340 miles of shoreline in Cleburne and Van Buren counties.
President John F. Kennedy with Wilbur D. Mills (left) at the dedication of Greers Ferry Dam on October 3, 1963.
Photo by Jeanne McDaniel
