With free tours of historic Pensacola Dam being offered by the Grand River Dam Authority it’s a good time to revisit just exactly what those tours include.
Walk-in tours of the Pensacola Dam are no longer available (as of May, 2023). Please call GRDA at (918) 782-4726 to schedule your school, civic, or special group tour.
If you are looking for a fun, free, and educational activity during summer, GRDA invites you to come for a tour.
First of all, during an opening video presentation in the GRDA Ecosystems and Education Center (where free Pensacola dam tours originate) expect to learn more about the men and women who first envisioned and later constructed the dam.
Depression-era labor built Pensacola at a time when electricity was still considered a luxury for many Oklahomans and the video contains much information about those construction days, as well as black and white photos showing the men and women who donated blood, sweat, and tears to turn the idea into a reality.
As you head towards the powerhouse you can also expect to look out across from the top of the mile-long dam as it stretches from Langley to Disney, across the Grand River Valley.
This is the southern end of Grand Lake O’ the Cherokees, a 46,500 surface-acre lake that attracts thousands and thousands of visitors every year.
Once inside the powerhouse, you sort of step back in time.
The art deco design is evident on the generator floor where Oklahoma’s oldest hydroelectric units (upgraded in the late 1990s) still play a vital role in power production for GRDA customers.
Believe it or not, when the dam was being built, many critics felt it would produce more power than GRDA could ever market.
Today, the low-cost, reliable electricity produced by Pensacola amounts to a small portion of GRDA’s overall production.
Walk outside the powerhouse and you have a good view of the dam’s impressive and colossal arches.
There are 51 of them, stretching the length of the river valley, holding back the waters that create Grand Lake and giving Pensacola Dam its unique look.
That “look” along with the important role the dam has played in Oklahoma’s development since 1940, are key reasons Pensacola is listed on the National Register for Historic Places.
Come see for yourself!
For more tour information, stop by the GRDA Ecosystems and Education Center in Langley or call (918) 782-4726.
If you plan to take the tour, bring a form of ID (18 and over) and wear comfortable shoes for walking.
From Memorial Day to Labor Day, the building will be open 9AM to 4PM.
You can also visit online at grda.com or email [email protected].
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