11979 S. County Road 375W
Poland, Indiana, 47868-3909
Phone (765) 795-4439
Office hours: M-F, 6:30 a.m. - 4 p.m. (may vary, call ahead)
Lake Levels
Lake Temperatures
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Location
Welcome to the Cagles Mill Lake web site. The lake lies in Putnam and Owen counties in south-central Indiana, approximately midway between Indianapolis and Terre Haute.
The area is picturesque with rolling hills surrounded by streams and creeks. The dam is located on Mill Creek 2.8 miles above its mouth. Cagles Mill Lake bears the name of an old grist mill that was just downstream from the lake on Mill Creek.
The Corps hopes that visitors enjoy their visit to the website. Look around and see what Cagles Mill Lake has to offer for a leisure experience. The menu on the right leads to specific recreation and other lake information.
Authorization
Cagles Mill Lake was authorized under the Flood Control Act of 1938. The Louisville District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers designed, built, and operates the project primarily for flood control in the Eel and White river watershed and forms an integral unit of the comprehensive flood control plan for the Ohio and Mississippi rivers.
History
Cagles Mill Lake is located within the Wabash River Valley in an area of scenic beauty. Picturesque Cataract Falls, at the headwaters of the lake, provide a pleasant experience for the visitor. An early settler appropriately described the region as “a sensitive display of rolling hills surrounded by numerous streams and creeks. The hills often rise into steep rock bluffs or furnish valleys with soil as rich as the prized river bottoms.” It was this presence of fertile soil and abundance of fresh water that had for centuries attracted Native Americans to the area.
The Miami, Shawnee, and Potawatomi Native Americans were the dominant tribes which inhabited the region through the 18th Century. However, in the late 1700s the relentless western expansion of the white settlers reached the area and threatened the Native American’s claim to the land. Frequent conflicts followed, culminating at the Battles of Tippecanoe and Fallen Timbers which effectively destroyed the tribes as an organized fighting force, and forced the Native Americans to surrender their land claims in the Indiana Territory. The “Ten O’Clock Line” Treaty, signed in 1809, gave pioneers claim to the land south and west of a line established by the shadow of a tree at ten o’clock, the time when the treaty was signed. This line crossed the Lieber State Recreation Area and the Lower Cataract Falls. With the signing of the Ten O’Clock Treaty and, subsequently, The Treaty of 1818, land in the Cagles Mill Lake area was opened for settlement.
Pioneers started a great migration immediately and were eager to claim the valuable resources of the area. They cleared the dense hardwood forests and farmed the river bottoms. The plentiful water supply was used with the development of gristmill and sawmills which gave rise to the local communities of Cataract and Cunot. Cagles Mill Lake bears the name of an old gristmill which was just downstream from the lake. Cagles Mill was destroyed and rebuilt several times prior to a fire in 1975. After this fire, it was not rebuilt. The old low level dam is still in place.
Development of the region progressed rapidly with discovery of limestone rock beds, gravel deposits, and other mineral deposits near Cloverdale, Puntnamville, and Reelsville. The National Road (U.S. 40) and the onset of the railroad encouraged growth by providing employment, increased business, and eased the transportation of goods and raw materials. The Vandalia, Moon, and B&O railroads played an integral part in the diversified development of the Cagles Mill Lake area. Today, over a century later, many of these same industries provide a livelihood for area residents who take pride in their resourceful heritage. Livestock and grain farms, forest industries, and limestone quarries contribute to the local economy.
Shoreline Use, Permits and Licenses
The Cagles Mill Lake project allows shoreline uses through permits and licenses in accordance with their lake’s Shoreline Management Plan:
Cagles Mill Lake (765) 795-4439
A Cagles Mill Lake Shoreline Management Plan has been developed which provides guidance and policy on management of the shoreline. The goal of the Shoreline Management Plan is to provide a balance of permitted private uses, while preserving and protecting Cagles Mill Lake’s natural resources. This plan designates what activities and facilities may be permitted on U.S. Government property at the lake, as well as describing application procedures for those landowners who qualify for an authorized activity.
Shoreline at Cagles Mill Lake is zoned as either a prohibited access area, public recreation area or protected shoreline area. View our Shoreline Management Map (copies available for viewing at the Project Office) for information on zoning in a particular area.
In areas where the shoreline is classified as protected, no new permits for docks will be authorized, and no new licenses for fixed recreational facilities (including stairs, steps, roadways, electric service, and water withdrawal) will be authorized. Normal foot traffic for access, hiking, fishing, or other activities not involving alteration of the resource is allowed. The only other private uses allowed in these areas are erosion protection using riprap or minor vegetation alteration which includes mowing and the removal of trash and debris. These uses may be allowed only after the Corps park manager or ranger has determined that no adverse environmental impact will result and a permit has been issued to the individual. For additional information, contact the Corps park manager at (765) 795-4439.
Special Events: Activities which may be allowed through Special Event Permits include, but are not limited to, water carnivals, boat regattas, music festivals, club meetings/socials, weddings, and dramatic presentations. Contact the Indiana Department of Natural Resources property Manager at (765) 795-4576 with any questions or to apply for a Special Event Permit.
Regulatory Permits: Some permits are required for work even if it is on private property. The Corps evaluates permit applications for essentially all construction activities that occur in, or have the potential to impact, navigable and non-navigable waterways or wetlands.
Consents to Easement: The Government may issue a Consent to Easement for the placement of non-habitable structures within a flowage easement if the structure does not jeopardize the Government’s right to flood the property or present an environmental or hazardous threat to the project. Construction within a flowage easement, without a Consent to Easement, constitutes an encroachment. There is no fee for a Consent to Easement. Contact the project office before initiating any construction that might be within a flowage easement area.
For a copy of the Cagles Mill Shoreline Management Plan please contact the Louisville District's Public Affairs Office at LRL-PAO@usace.army.mil
Information
Frequently Asked Questions
Permits - Permits are issued to authorize private use on project lands or waters such as boat docks, vegetation control, and erosion control structures.
Licenses - Licenses are issued to authorize non-exclusive use of the shoreline, to include private utility lines, improved pathways, special access for mobility impairment, private drives and roadways, boat ramps, turnarounds, and parking areas.
Consents to Easement - In addition to property the Government acquired in fee for project construction, all of our lakes have specific areas over which flowage easement rights were acquired. The Government may issue a Consent to Easement for non-habitable structures that do not jeopardize the Government’s right to flood the property and do not present an environmental or hazardous threat to the project.
Special Events - Activities for which special event permits may be required include, but are not limited to, water carnivals, boat regattas, music festivals, and dramatic presentations. Please contact the Park Manager for the specific Lake or Locks/Dams location directly for questions about Special Events/Activities or Facilities uses.
Regulatory Permits - Some permits are required for work even if it is on your own property. The Corps evaluates permit applications for essentially all construction activities that occur in the nation’s waters, including wetlands. Corps permits are also necessary for any work, including construction and dredging, in the nation’s navigable waters.