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Quick answer: Lake Texoma is an 89,000-acre reservoir straddling the Texas-Oklahoma line, built in 1944 when the Denison Dam went up on the Red River. Beyond the boat ramps and marinas, it has a deeper backstory - flooded towns, a record-setting striper fishery, and a state line that runs straight through the water, which matters more than most buyers realize when they start shopping for a home here.
How was Lake Texoma formed?
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers built Denison Dam between 1938 and 1944 for flood control on the Red River, and when it was finished it was the largest rolled-earth dam in the world. The lake that formed behind it now covers roughly 89,000 surface acres with about 580 miles of shoreline, most of it within a short drive of Denison and Sherman on the Texas side.
Are there really ghost towns under Lake Texoma?
Yes. When the reservoir filled in the mid-1940s, several small communities along the Red and Washita rivers were bought out and abandoned, their buildings either moved, burned, or left to flood. On low-water years, old foundations, roads, and cemetery markers have resurfaced near the Texas and Oklahoma shorelines - it's one of the most-searched pieces of Lake Texoma trivia, and one most real estate sites never mention.
What is Lake Texoma best known for?
- Striped bass fishing - Texoma is consistently ranked among the best inland striper lakes in the country, with guide services running out of nearly every marina.
- A two-state shoreline - the lake sits on the Texas/Oklahoma border, so waterfront buyers deal with two different property tax systems, two sets of dock/boathouse permitting rules, and two state's worth of closing paperwork depending which side the home sits on.
- Marina culture - Highport, Grandpappy Point, Cedar Mills, and Preston are some of the most recognized names on the lake.
- Eisenhower State Park, named for President Dwight D. Eisenhower, who was born just a few miles away in Denison, Texas.
- A winter home for bald eagles, which nest along quieter coves from November through February.
12 quick facts to remember
- Built by Denison Dam, completed 1944.
- Was the largest rolled-earth dam in the world at the time.
- About 89,000 surface acres and 580 miles of shoreline.
- Straddles the Texas-Oklahoma state line down the middle of the lake.
- Home to one of the top striped bass fisheries in the U.S.
- Several small communities were relocated or flooded when it was built.
- Managed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, not a private utility.
- Eisenhower State Park sits on the Texas shoreline near Denison.
- Winters host a visible bald eagle population.
- Water levels shift seasonally, which affects new dock and boathouse permitting.
- Marinas like Highport and Grandpappy Point anchor much of the lake's community identity.
- Waterfront demand keeps climbing from buyers in Sherman, Denison, Durant, and Calera who want lake access without a DFW price tag.
Thinking about a place on the water yourself? Browse current Lake Texoma waterfront listings or call (580) 217-7435 and we'll walk you through what's actually available on both sides of the state line.
