The Salt Valley Lakes
There are 11 small creeks that converge with Salt Creek in the vicinity of Lincoln draining over 1000 square miles of land. With so much water draining into Salt Creek, flooding was frequent and caused significant damage and historically loss of lives. On May 8, 1950 fourteen inches of rain fell in the Lincoln area causing widespread flooding in Lincoln, Sprague, Roca and surrounding areas. Eight people died as a result of this flooding as Salt Creek registered the fourth highest flood crest on record. In June of 1951, Salt Creek again reached a slightly higher flood crest compared to the 1950 flood. On July 3 1958, the United States Congress authorized the project of flood control on Salt Creek and tributaries. The Salt-Wahoo Watershed District was organized in 1960 to provide flood control, water conservation and erosion. The District's name was changed to the Salt Valley Watershed District in 1966.
Ten large dams were constructed on Salt Creek and its tributaries. These projects included: Holmes Lake in Lincoln, Bluestem located southwest of Lincoln close to Denton; Wagon Train located east of Hickman; Olive Creek located southwest of Denton; Wagon Train located east of Lincoln; Olive Creek located southwest of Denton; Stagecoach located south of Hickman; Conestoga lake located southwest of Denton; Pawnee located southwest of Emerald; Yankee Hill located southwest of Lincoln near Denton; Twin Lakes and Branched Oak located near Raymond was the last lake and the largest