Lake Overholser, Recreational reservoir in Oklahoma City, United States

Lake Overholser is a recreational reservoir in Oklahoma City with extensive shoreline for fishing, boating, and picnicking. The water body features multiple boat access points, fishing areas, and sheltered pavilions for gatherings.

Oklahoma City voters approved a $1.5 million bond issue in 1916 to fund the reservoir, and the dam was completed in 1919 to supply a water treatment plant. Niels Ambursen designed the 68-foot-high, 1,258-foot-long reinforced concrete dam, built by the Ambursen Construction Company of New York. On October 16, 1923, the west-end levee gave way, flooding a 117-block area; five people died and damage reached $3,500,000.

The lake's nickname, "Lake Holdhercloser", comes from its popularity as a make-out spot among local teenagers, and young students still use the name. Fishing draws residents to the water; the lake holds white bass, bluegill, striped bass, flathead catfish, crappie, carp and largemouth bass, and a covered fishing pier stands on the southwest side.

The lake is accessible from dawn to dusk and provides parking areas and walking paths along the shoreline. Fishing here requires proper licenses, and facilities vary depending on which section of the water you plan to visit.

The dam was designed by Norwegian-born engineer Niels Ambursen and built by his New York company after Oklahoma City voters approved a $1.5 million bond issue in 1916. Its four buttressed spillway sections and a solid spillway carry a concrete walkway that crosses the larger spillway on a Pratt through truss.