Russell County, Kentucky was formed by an Act of The Kentucky
General Assembly on November 7, 1825. Officially becoming a county
in the State of Kentucky on April 1, 1826, it was officially recognized
as a county and named in honor of General William Russell of Fayette,
Kentucky.
Russell County is proud of its water-related history. The creeks
and rivers which now continually re-supply Lake Cumberland were
the source of energy for early industry. Tourism is the new industry
of Russell County water.
With the creation of Wolf Creek Dam, Russell County, Jamestown,
and Russell Springs continue to enjoy the water related industry
now centered around the beautiful Lake Cumberland.
Lake Cumberland began with Wolf Creek Dam. This 240-foot-high
embankment interrupts the flow of the Cumberland River and backs
it up for 101 miles to form Lake Cumberland.
Lake Cumberland, one of the largest man-made lakes in the world,
was originally created for the purpose of flood control and hydroelectric
power generation.
Construction of Wolf Creek Dam began in August, 1941 and after
a three year delay during World War II was completed in 1950 for
flood control. It was placed in full operation in 1952. The
dam stands 240 feet high and is 5,736 feet long. It contains
1,380,000 cubic feet of concrete and 10,015,500 cubic feet of
earth fill.
The impoundment formed by Wolf Creek Dam, Lake Cumberland, covers
over 63,000 acres and contains over 2,000,000 acre-feet of water.
Its waters touch 1,255 miles of shoreline with an average depth
of 90 feet.