The Pensacola Dam is the reason Grand Lake exists, and the reason Langley looks the way it does. It stretches about a mile across the Grand River Valley between Langley and Disney, and our stays are about five blocks from its west end.
Here is what to know before you go: a little history, how to see it, and the best things to do around it.
A short history
The Grand River Dam Authority built the dam between December 30, 1938 and March 21, 1940, when Depression-era labor was plentiful. It was the first hydroelectric plant built in Oklahoma, and its six units still generate power today.
GRDA calls it the world’s longest continuous multiple-arch dam, and its arches and art deco details helped earn it a place on the National Register of Historic Places in 2003. The neighborhood around our stays grew up with it: next to St. Frances of Rome Catholic Church you can still see a preserved hut that once housed the dam workers.
How to see the dam
State Highway 28 runs across the top of the dam, so the simplest way to see it is to drive over from Langley to Disney. The dam has 21 floodgates on its main spillway and 21 more on the east spillways, and when GRDA is releasing water the view from below is worth the trip.
Walk-up tours of the dam are no longer offered. GRDA still arranges tours for groups of 10 or more, Monday to Friday between 8 AM and 4 PM. Book ahead with GRDA, and bring photo ID for everyone 18 and over.
The GRDA Ecosystems and Education Center
GRDA opened its Ecosystems and Education Center in Langley in 2010. The public is welcome during regular business hours to watch a video and look through photos of how the dam was built. It is a good stop on a rainy morning, and an easy walk or golf cart ride from our stays.
Eagles below the dam
Every winter the river below the dam becomes a haven for bald eagles, and now and then a golden eagle. GRDA puts the season at mid-December to March, and TravelOK says the eagles can arrive as early as late October. GRDA marked a viewing area called Eagle Pass on the west side of the spillway channel, and early morning in January and February is the best time to watch them hunt.
To reach Eagle Pass, take Broadway Avenue south out of Langley, cross the bridge and follow the dirt road south. Part of the area below the dam can close to protect a nest, so obey the signs.
Golf with a view of the dam
Just below the dam, the Grand Cherokee State Park Golf Course is a 9-hole course with tree-lined fairways, Bermuda greens and, in TravelOK’s words, “a spectacular view of the dam.” There is a driving range and a pro shop with cart and club rentals.
