Lake Keomah State Park

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Lake Keomah State Park is a state park of Iowa, USA. It is in Mahaska County. To the park's immediate east is Keomah Village and the park is approximately 4mi east of Oskaloosa.Lake Keomah State Park is a 366acre state park that surrounds and includes Lake Keomah. Lake Keomah is an 83acre reservoir.Etymology and historyLake Keomah State Park was financed by Keokuk and Mahaska counties. "Keomah" is a portmanteau derived from the names of the two counties "Keokuk" and "Mahaska".Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) Company 776 arrived in Oskaloosa on June 3, 1933 and began work on Lake Keomah. It is the first man-made lake in the State of Iowa. After the dam and spillway were completed in October 1934, they turned their attention to soil erosion control and then constructing the various facilities. Although incomplete, the park was dedicated in 1934. At the time it was a 254acre park that grew to its current size in 1942. By May 1935 work had begun on the beach, and the first meals were served in the lodge on June 26, 1936. The CCC ended its work in the park in 1937. The Original spillway was replaced in 1965.Historic DistrictsIn 1990 two areas of the park were set aside as nationally recognized historic districts listed on the National Register of Historic Places. They are both part of a larger study of Iowa's state parks called the.