Lake shows nods to Ray Roberts history

In some of the manmade lakes throughout Texas, their history is far in the past.

Ray Roberts, however, still has that living history in the form of area residents who remember seeing the land beneath the lake.

“It wasn’t that long ago,” said Robbie Merritt, the Ray Roberts Lake State Park superintendent. “We still talk to people almost weekly that come through, [saying,] ‘I remember when the lake wasn’t here,’ ‘Such and such had property down here,’ or ‘I remember when they built the dam.’” He holds onto photos families give him from the construction process, such as the one from Mark Jones’ family in 1987.