opposition was heated, it failed to ultimately stop the dam. Construction began on 1952. Closure of the dam (still under construction) occurred July 4, 1959 with diversion of the river though the completed intake tower ("The Tubes"). In 1960, dam contained a record snow melt; even though not yet finished, the dam was credited at that time with preventing $15,243,000 in damages. During this event, the tubes discharged , a record amount for the intake tower that was not matched or exceeded until the tower's estimated release on May 31, 2019. When the dam was completed and the lake began filling up in 1962, it affected ten towns and entirely submerged four of them (from north to south): Cleburne at , Randolph, Garrison Cross and Stockdale. The only town to rebuild elsewhere was Randolph, where the streets are named after the submerged towns. The remnants of "Old Randolph", as it's known locally, can still be seen partially submerged to this day. The value of the dam was particularly proven during the Great Flood of 1993, when floodwaters reaching up to 63 feet (19 m) above normal were held back. However, when the dam reached capacity in July 1993, it necessitated the first release of the spillway since its installation. All 18 gates on the spillway were raised 4 feet (1.2 m) during the peak of the flood, producing a flow rate of 60,000 cubic feet per second (1,700 m³/s) (with the tubes closed at that time). While this controlled flow rate resulted in flooding of low-lying homes and cropland, it was significantly less than the estimated peak flow of the downstream communities would have experienced on June 30 had the dam not been in place, an amount that would have topped the Big Blue River Levee and flooded downtown Manhattan. The roar of the water was audible half a mile (800 m) away and some people in nearby Manhattan reported hearing the noise. 2019 flood During 2019 there was a period consisting of a few days where there was heavy rain. The water levels rose and preparations were made in the event that the spillway was to be opened. The nearby RV park and other areas near the dam's main wall were evacuated, and those in the path of the spillway's flooding and destruction radius, if it were to be opened, were evacuated as well. The rain continued and more