Tenkiller Ferry Lake, Reservoir in Cookson Hills, Oklahoma

Tenkiller Ferry Lake is a reservoir in the Cookson Hills of eastern Oklahoma, formed by an earth-fill dam on the Illinois River. The dam's downstream face is a pale grey slope of horizontal lines ending in broken stone, with a concrete crest pierced by eleven rectangular openings and a metal railing. A cylindrical concrete tower with a dark vertical stain stands at the left end of the crest.

The Tenkiller Dam was built between 1947 and 1952 by the United States Army Corps of Engineers to control flooding and generate power. The creation of the dam flooded the valley of the Illinois River, forming the lake that exists today.

The lake and dam carry the name of the Tenkiller family, Cherokee landowners whose land and ferry were bought for the project. The Illinois River ferry they ran gave the reservoir its second name, Tenkiller Ferry Lake. The reservoir is one of Oklahoma's 'Big Three' lakes, alongside Lake Eufaula and Grand Lake o' the Cherokees.

The lake lies about 7 miles northeast of Gore and 10 miles from the I-40 and Muskogee Turnpike junction. Access is spread across ten marinas, fourteen parks and 24 boat launching ramps. Paradise Hill, at the far southwestern edge, has abrupt drop-offs from waist level to overhead, a spot linked to many drownings.

The lake's name comes from the Tenkiller family, Cherokee landowners whose ferry across the Illinois River was bought for the dam project. The reservoir is the sixth largest in Oklahoma by water capacity and one of the state's 'Big Three' lakes with Eufaula and Grand Lake o' the Cherokees. Goat Island is known for the goats that live on it.