Lake Taneycomo: Where Mother Nature & Mankind Cooperated to Create One of the Most Beautiful Lakes in Missouri

Lake Taneycomo is part of a beautiful, scenic area in southern Missouri near the town of Branson. Until 1913, however, there were no Branson lakes in this otherwise idyllic location. Lake Taneycomo is a man-made lake, created when the Powersite Dam near Forsythe, Missouri, was completed. The dam backed up the water of the White River creating the lake we know of today as Lake Taneycomo.

Lake Taneycomo is named after Taney County where it is located, but one might also say it is named for a former U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice, the Honorable Roger Brooke Taney. When it first formed, and then for more than 40 years, Lake Taneycomo was a warm water lake. Beginning in the 1930s, the lake began to attract many tourists not only because of the beauty of the surrounding location, but for the increasingly great fishing. The nearby communities of Branson and Rockaway Beach benefited greatly from the Lake Taneycomo’s ability to attract tourists, sportsmen and water recreation enthusiasts.

The year 1958 brought a significant change for Lake Taneycomo. That was the year another dam, Table Rock Dam, was completed upriver, diverting the colder waters from the bottom of Table Rock Lake into Taneycomo. It was now a cold water lake instead of the warm waters it had featured for 40 years. This was great for fishing, however, because the colder waters enabled Lake Taneycomo to support trout. These were introduced into the lake via stocking by the Missouri Department of Conservation. And so Lake Taneycomo became a magnet for eager trout fisherpersons, further enhancing the draw of the lake. Many record setting trout have been caught in the cold waters of Taneycomo

Today, Lake Taneycomo remains extremely popular for water sports, as a hiking area, sightseeing, camping, and more. Since Branson became a popular musical entertainment venue, Lake Taneycomo has become a favorite side trip for tourists who come from all over the nation to visit this fascinating area.

Learn more of Lake Taneycomo Branson history and how this lake started the tourism industry that is now the hallmark of the Branson area. Or go back up and learn more about the other Branson Lakes that make up the Branson Trilakes area.