The lake was created primarily to control floods, provide electricity, and support recreational activities.

Raystown Lake offers several boat launches as well as two larger marinas that have restaurants and often hold special events.

In 2015, a Texas-based energy company proposed building a large resort on the mountain above and marina with luxury amenities on the shore.

Several Residents joined in protest and the Proposal did not meet the criteria required by the USACE for ecological and safety reasons.

No one knows how much time and thought was put into the project idea, but eventually permanent charters for the development of the stream were granted by the Commonwealth and signed by Governor Pennypacker on March 30, 1906 (Drake, 1905).

The December 9, 1989 edition of the Daily News stated, "The first power dam on the Raystown Branch was the product of private enterprise.

"Almost a thousand cottages are near its shores, and the construction last year by the County Commissioners of Fink's Bridge opened up another large area for development.

The proposal for the new dam incorporated the ideas of bringing tourism into the area, promoting recreation, and flood control.

The actual purpose stated, "The project will provide flood control, recreation, water quality and fish and wildlife enhancement" (U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, 1974).

Although tourism and recreation was what was projected as the most important to the public and community, the reason the dam was approved was for flood control.

The project was authorized under the general provisions of the Flood Control Act of 1962 (Public Law 87-874, 87th Congress, second session).

It is estimated that Raystown Lake was effective in preventing damages in the Juniata Basin downstream from the dam of $48,100,000 and of $11,900,000 along the lower Susquehanna River (U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, 1974).

But what is interesting is that Kauffman noted that the "camping spaces at the new reservoir will be 50 feet (15 m), center to center, and his (Kauffman's) management plans include withholding 20 percent of the total available camping area from use each year, on a rotating basis, to allow the vegetation time to recoup" (Anon., 1973).

What was surprising was that the hydroelectric power was under much controversy and not completed until August 31, 1988, when the William F. Matson Generating Station was dedicated.

"In August of 1979, the Board of Engineers for Rivers and Harbors, an independent review agency within the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, put the issue of pumped storage hydro-electric generation to rest by announcing that it couldn't recommend federal participation in such a project due to a lack of local support" (Shuck, 1989).

In the end 1,800 property owners sold their deeds or easements to the federal government and 407 graves were relocated (Shuck, 1990).

The Lake Raystown Program of Dedication relates the significance of the Tropical Storm Agnes and the Lake Raystown Dam by noting, "The partially completed Raystown Lake Project was effective in storing 160,000 acre-feet (200,000,000 m3) of flood water (ultimate flood control storage is 248,000 acre-feet (306,000,000 m3)) during the June 1972 Storm Agnes which resulted in reducing peak flows in the Juniata River at Lewistown and Newport, Pennsylvania by 7.5 feet (2.3 m) and 4.5 feet (1.4 m), respectively.

The formal ceremony of dedication for Lake Raystown was June 6, 1974 and the area attracts about 1.5 million visitors annually.

The original 34-foot-high (10 m) hydroelectric dam underwent construction in 1907 resulting in the Raystown Water and Power Co. (later Penelec) generating their first electricity in 1912.

While it is rumored that there are entire towns (and dead bodies of townspeople who refused to leave) still intact under the water, only a few more permanent structures were left in place.

[5] The Penn State University Library holds a 29-minute film about the site, titled "Discovery at Sheep Rock.

One is Seven Points which has a restaurant, a beach area, disc golf, boat rentals, and weekly summer events.

The resort offers boat rentals, cabins, camping, a waterpark, a restaurant, an ice cream shop, fireworks, and summer events.