Coffee Mill Lake (Red River Basin)

Coffee Mill Lake and Dam (Photo source: http://www.bonham-tx.com)Coffee Mill Lake is also called Coffee Mill Creek Lake because the dam is built on Coffee Mill Creek, a tributary of Bois d'Arc Creek, which is a tributary to the Red River. Though the Creek has nothing to do with coffee, it got its name because a camper lost his coffee mill on a tree beside the creek in Texas' early days2. Physically, it is located about twelve miles northwest of Honey Grove in Fannin County, Texas. The lake is owned and operated by the United States Forest Service for recreational purpose. It was built in 1938 and benefitted from a major repair conducted from 1967 to 1969.

Based on survey in September 2001 (from the owner), the reservoir has a capacity of 8,000 acre-feet and a surface area of 650 acres at the service spillway crest elevation of 496 feet above mean sea level. The drainage area above the dam is thirty-nine square miles.

2 - Data source: Texas State Historical Association on Coffee Mill Creek

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