Long Branch State Park is a public recreation area occupying adjacent to the
Long Branch Reservoir in
Macon County,
Missouri
Missouri (''see #Etymology and pronunciation, pronunciation'') is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it border ...
. The
state park
State parks are parks or other protected areas managed at the sub-national level within those nations which use "Federated state, state" as a political subdivision. State parks are typically established by a state to preserve a location on accou ...
consists of three units located some two miles west of
Macon, Missouri on
U.S. Highway 36.
History
Flooding along the
Little Chariton River was an ongoing problem for the residents of Macon County and elsewhere in northeast Missouri since the area was first settled in the 1830s. Extensive
channelization of the main Chariton River by private entities, local governments, and the
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
The United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) is the military engineering branch of the United States Army. A direct reporting unit (DRU), it has three primary mission areas: Engineer Regiment, military construction, and civil wor ...
, while alleviating flooding issues in some areas, exacerbated them for others.
[ Long Branch Dam was authorized by Congress in 1965 as a multi-purpose project for water supply, flood control, recreation, downstream water quality and fish/wildlife management. Construction began in 1973 and the dam began operating in 1980.][
Long Branch Lake is the reservoir created by the dam, with about 24 miles of shoreline and a flood-control capacity of 98,000 acre-feet. In addition to the adjacent state-run state park, the dam has a visitors center at its southern end, and the Atlanta State Wildlife Area at its northern end near Atlanta, Missouri.
Long Branch State Park was created by the Missouri Department of Natural Resources in 1983 after reaching a long term lease agreement with the Corps of Engineers for use of the land.][
]
Activities and Amenities
The state park features a wide variety of outdoor activities including boating, swimming, water skiing, fishing,[ hiking trails,][ picnicking facilities,][ three boat ramps, marina, and camping area.][ The large public acreage surrounding the lake provide opportunities for viewing ]white-tailed deer
The white-tailed deer (''Odocoileus virginianus''), also known Common name, commonly as the whitetail and the Virginia deer, is a medium-sized species of deer native to North America, North, Central America, Central and South America. It is the ...
, wild turkey
The wild turkey (''Meleagris gallopavo'') is an upland game bird native to North America, one of two extant species of Turkey (bird), turkey and the heaviest member of the order Galliformes. It is the ancestor to the domestic turkey (''M. g. dom ...
, and migratory waterfowl.[
]
References
External links
Long Branch State Park
Missouri Department of Natural Resources
Long Branch State Park Map
Missouri Department of Natural Resources
{{authority control
State parks of Missouri
Protected areas of Macon County, Missouri
Protected areas established in 1983
1983 establishments in Missouri
United States Army Corps of Engineers dams