Morris Sheppard Dam Made Possum Kingdom Lake

Possum Kingdom looks like lake country now, with blue coves set against the Brazos River cliffs. Its shape came from a public works project. A state permit was issued in 1938, and construction on Morris Sheppard Dam began that year.

The work finished in 1941 with help from the Works Progress Administration. The completed dam stretches 2,700 feet and stands 190 feet high. Behind it, the lake reaches into Palo Pinto, Young, Stephens, and Jack counties.

The reservoir still supplies water in the Brazos basin. That gives Possum Kingdom two identities at once: a place for boats and cabins, and a working piece of regional water infrastructure. The dam is the hinge between them.