LAKE MURRAY FACTS

in 1930, when the large earthen dam was completed several miles northwest of Columbia, South Carolina.  Its primary purpose was to use the swift waters of the Saluda to bring electricity to rural areas of the Midlands.

Not many then could guess that, in the three-quarters of a century since the lake created by that dam would spawn a boom in the recreational tourism, real estate and economic development.

The dam, a Depression-era project, created Lake Murray (named for William S. Murray).  At the time, it was the largest earthen dam built for power purposes in the world.  The dam is 208 feet high and 1 1/2 mile long, and covers an area of about 99 acres.

Lake Murray, 360 feet at its deepest during normal levels, contains an estimated 763 billion gallons of water. The lake encompassing an area of 78 square miles, and lies within the borders of four counties.  It has a shoreline of 650 miles.