[7] In the 1930s, U.S. Representative from Colorado John Martin successfully advocated for legislation in the U.S. Congress approving the building of a reservoir on the Arkansas River for the purposes of flood control.

Signed into law in 1939 by President Roosevelt, the legislation assigned the task of construction to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

The effort required the U.S. government to buy more than 20,000 acres (81 km2) of land, including most of the town of Caddoa, and relocate 21 miles (34 km) of Santa Fe Railway track.

Adherence to the Compact has been a recurrent source of controversy between the two states, serving as a primary factor in the decades-long water conflict litigation Kansas v.

[11] Colorado State Highway 183 runs north-south between U.S. 50 and Fort Lyon immediately northwest of the reservoir.

[11] The city of Las Animas lies on the south bank of the Arkansas River 4 miles (6.4 km) west of the reservoir.

Hasty, an unincorporated community, is located on U.S. 50 roughly 2 miles (3.2 km) north of the reservoir's eastern end.

[5][7] A portion of the dam's midsection is a concrete spillway controlled by 16 radial gates which empty into the Arkansas River.

When the reservoir is filled to the top of its flood control pool, the river outlet has a capacity of 16,300 cubic feet per second (460 m3/s).

[3] The Albuquerque District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers manages the dam and the reservoir for the purposes of flood control and irrigation, a shelter house as well as the Caddoa Disc Golf Course.

[21] A preserved 0.5-mile (0.80 km) section of the Santa Fe Trail lies north of the reservoir, commemorated by a historical marker placed by the Daughters of the American Revolution.

[22] Hicklin Springs Petroglyph Site located North of the reservoir Boggsville Historic Site Zebulon Pike Monument Red Shin Hiking Trail John Martin Dam Tours John Martin Reservoir is a productive warm water fishery, providing species including saugeye, wiper, white bass, crappie, and catfish.