Lake Afton

Lake Afton
Location of Lake Afton in Kansas, USA.
Location of Lake Afton in Kansas, USA.
Lake Afton
Location of Lake Afton in Kansas, USA.
Location of Lake Afton in Kansas, USA.
Lake Afton
KDOT map of Sedgwick County (legend)
LocationSedgwick County, Kansas
Coordinates37°36′41″N 97°37′38″W / 37.61139°N 97.62722°W / 37.61139; -97.62722
TypeLake
Basin countriesUnited States
Built1941
First flooded1945
Surface area258-acre (104 ha)
Surface elevation1,365 ft (416 m)[1]
SettlementsGoddard, Schulte,
Garden Plain, Viola
References[1][2]

Lake Afton is a 258-acre (104 ha) man-made recreational lake in Sedgwick County, Kansas, United States, and within the 720-acre (2.9 km2) Lake Afton Park. It is located east of the intersection of Viola Rd (263rd St W) and MacArthur Rd (39th St S), between the communities of Goddard, Garden Plain, Schulte, Viola.

History

Ground breaking for the dam occurred on December 29, 1939. The dam was built by Works Progress Administration workers from 1939 to 1941. It opened to the public in 1945.[2]

The Sedgwick County Commission let a contract for the construction of the Segwick County Boys Detention Home within the Park in April 1960.[2]

Lake Afton Public Observatory was constructed within the Park in the late 1970s on the north side of MacArthur Rd.

Directions

Lake Afton is located at 24600 W 39th St S, which is east of the intersection of Viola Rd (263rd St W) and MacArthur Rd (39th St S) in rural western Sedgwick County. MacArthur Rd is located 3 miles (4.8 km) south of U.S. Route 54 / U.S. Route 400 highway.

Directions:

  • from Goddard, 3 miles (4.8 km) west on U.S. Route 54, 3 miles (4.8 km) south on Viola Rd, 0.7 miles (1.1 km) east on MacArthur Rd.
  • from Garden Plain, 2 miles (3.2 km) east on U.S. Route 54, 3 miles (4.8 km) south on Viola Rd, 0.7 miles (1.1 km) east on MacArthur Rd.
  • from Schulte and K-42, 8.7 miles (14.0 km) west on MacArthur Rd.
  • from Viola and K-42, 9 miles (14 km) north on Viola Rd, 0.7 miles (1.1 km) east on MacArthur Rd.

See also

References

  1. ^ a b Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) details for Lake Afton Dam; United States Geological Survey (USGS); October 13, 1978.
  2. ^ a b c Lake Afton; Special Collections of Wichita State University