The
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers built and manages the lake and dam. It is used primarily for
flood control. Other uses include
power generation, recreation, and wildlife management. Originally named
Kaysinger Bluff Dam and Reservoir in 1954, when construction was authorized, construction began in August 1964. It was renamed the
Harry S. Truman Dam and Reservoir, in honor of the
former president from Missouri, by
Congress in 1970. Construction was completed in 1979. The Kaysinger name refers to the bluff immediately north next to where the dam was eventually constructed. The bluff or cliff, a popular landmark even before the dam, overlooked the confluence of the South Grand River, Tebo Creek and the Osage River. The visitor center now sits on the bluff. Completing the Truman Project took many years of planning,
land acquisition, constructing new
bridges and demolishing old ones. Several roads, towns, and cemeteries had to be relocated. The first construction project completed on the project was relocating
Route 13 so it would be above maximum pool level. The creation of the lake forced the closure of the
Frisco Railroad's "Highline". Rising water levels severed the railroad tracks near
Osceola and
Deepwater and railroad officials declined to spend millions of dollars to reroute the lightly used tracks. The
Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad, however, did relocate its main line between
La Due and
Clinton; the project included five miles of new track and a causeway/bridge combination over the lake. ==Harry S Truman Regional Visitor Center==