Construction of the Ross Barnett Reservoir began in 1960 under the direction of the Pearl River Valley Water Supply District. Although the Army Corps of Engineers had studied flooding in the area since the 1930s, the main purpose of the reservoir project was to create a permanent source of drinking water for the City of Jackson and to provide recreational and economic development opportunities for Madison and Rankin counties. Construction of the spillway was completed in 1962 and the reservoir was dedicated on May 30, 1965. The 33,000-acre lake is one of the state's largest lakes, with 105 miles of shoreline. In 1962, during construction of the dam, the skeleton of a "huge prehistoric monster" was unearthed near Pelahatchie Creek. Examined by geologists, the fossil was identified as a Basilosaurus.
