Bull Shoals-White River State Park occupies 732 acres along Bull Shoals Lake and the White River around Bull Shoals Dam in northern Arkansas. Its history is rooted in the dam project begun in 1947 by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for flood control and power generation. After the dam's completion in 1951, the shoreline was leased to the state, becoming first a primitive camping area, then part of the state park system in 1955, with major improvements added in 1975. Known especially for trout fishing on the White River and Bull Shoals Lake, the park also offers camping, boating, trails, picnic areas, exhibits, and programs.