Tuttle Creek Lake is a reservoir on the Big Blue River 5 miles (8 km) north of Manhattan, in the Flint Hills region of northeast Kansas. It was built and is operated by the Army Corps of Engineers for the primary purpose of flood control. Secondary functions of the project include release of water stores to maintain barge traffic on the Mississippi River during seasons of drought, maintenance of a multi-use conservation pool for fish and wildlife enhancement and recreation (fishing, hunting, and boating), and release of sufficient water in droughts to maintain water quality for downstream communities. The base of the dam is bordered by Tuttle Creek State Park, which features of recreational areas, including nature trails, camping sites, and an artificial beach. The state park also hosted the Country Stampede Music Festival every summer from 1996 to 2018. Geography Excluding the of narrow valley below the dam, the project manages the drainage of the entire watershed of the Big Blue River, an area of that ranges from just north of Manhattan to the Platte River. The border between Riley County (on the west) and Pottawatomie County (on the east) is submerged underneath the lake. The dam is roughly two miles north of Manhattan, Kansas, and is crossed by Kansas Highway 13. Near the river delta at the lake's northern end, a bridge carrying Kansas Highway 16 spans the lake. History From 1903 to 1959, 25 floods damaged the areas of the Kansas River at Topeka; but, over the same period, there were also times of critical drought. With the growth of population and industry, there was envisioned projects to both contain excessive floodwaters and conserve water for release in drought. The Flood Control Act of 1938 authorized construction of Tuttle Creek Reservoir, and funds for initial planning were authorized in 1944. The construction of Tuttle Creek Dam as a Corps of Engineers project was given particular impetus by the Great Flood of 1951, which inundated downtown Manhattan, Topeka, and the West Bottoms of Kansas City. Total losses in the Kansas cities and farmland exceeded $725,000,000. Nevertheless, the project met with heavy opposition from landowners whose land faced flooding by the lake's construction. Residents of the Blue Valley organized opposition under the phrase "Let's quit this dam foolishness," and the campaign led to victory for Democrat Howard Shultz Miller in the U.S. House of Representatives in 1952. Although the