Destination Elwood/Johnson Lake 2024 | 9
the uniform flow in the canal above the reservoir into the variable flow required by the hydroplants. A.C. Tilley, who succeeded Johnson as Central’s general manager in 1947, said the lake also serves as a secondary source of water in case of a “calamity” along the Supply Canal that might interrupt the flow of water to the hydroplants as well as a ready source of irrigation water for almost 50,000 acres of farmland along the Phelps Canal when irrigation demand suddenly increases. Tilley added that the lake can also serve as a “catch basin” for flows in the Supply Canal when rain storms temporarily halt demand for irrigation water. Development of that potential started slowly. The large body of water that gradually appeared in the lake turned the minds of many in neighboring towns to the possibility of recreational development. A number of area sportsmen, including Neil Shreck of Bertrand, Claude Smith and Judge J.S. Fitzsimmons of Elwood (Smith and Fitzsimmons were original members of Central’s board of directors) and a Mr. Bracken from Lexington, formed a wildlife preservation committee to make Johnson Lake “a spot to be enjoyed by everyone who desires to use it.” Included in the committee’s plans were a public boat dock and beautification plans for the shoreline that would include tree and shrub planting. By 1950, boats were common on the lake, but almost all were small wooden or aluminum fishing boats powered by five and ten-horsepower motors. By the early ‘60’s, larger crafts constructed of fiberglass with 50- and 60-hp motors were seen much more frequently on the lake. The experience of owning a cabin at the lake was simply not complete without a boat, and the number of boats swelled rapidly during the 1960’s. As evidence, a group of cabin owners from Grand Island cooperated on construction of a boat dock that extended two blocks out
ELWOOD JOHNSON LAKE A GREAT PLACE TO CALL HOME
Johnson Lake Chamber of Commerce PO Box 244 • Lexington, NE 68850 308-201-0885 • Johnsonlakechamber@icloud.com johnsonlake.org COME VISIT AND SEE WHAT WE HAVE TO OFFER In the heart of our nation and the center of Nebraska, you’re never far from what you need and you’ll always feel at home.
Elwood Chamber of Commerce PO Box 92 • Elwood, NE 68937 308-785-2480 • elwoodnebraska.com
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