Lake Talquin is a reservoir located on the Ochlockonee River between Leon County and Gadsden County in north Florida. The lake, located about 10 miles (15 km) west of Tallahassee, is south of Interstate 10 and bordered by State Road 20 on the east and State Road 267 on the west.The lake was created by the construction of the Talquin Dam, and used for the generation of hydroelectric power. The name Talquin is a contraction of the names of the two cities the lake lies between, Tallahassee and Quincy.HistoryIn 1927 the Jackson Bluff Dam was constructed on the Ochlockonee River to produce hydroelectric power. The waters held back by the dam formed Lake Talquin.On August 18, 1962, the lake was the site of a tragedy when 17 children and one adult drowned in the capsizing of a boat while they were on an outing.In 1971, approximately 20,000 acres (80 km²) of uplands and 10,000 acres (40 km²) of lake bottom were donated by the Florida Power Corporation to the State of Florida to form Lake Talquin State Recreation Area. Much of the shore of the lake is part of Lake Talquin State Forest. The waters that now cover Lake Talquin’s floodplain are shallow except along the old channel of the river. The abundance of dead trees and stumps scattered about are reminders of the rich floodplain forest that once covered the area before the lake was formed. Most of the stumps can be found right under the water on the eastern end of the lake causing problems for boaters.
