Story and photos by Jeff Kurrus
“How have I not been here before?” I said as I pulled into the park’s entrance, camera in my lap as I eyed the blues of the water and greens from the surrounding forest.
“Uh, where are we?” said Skarlett Jones, a family friend who, along with her friend, Delaney Madson, had decided an afternoon away from the metro to relax and fish a little seemed like a fantastic idea.
“Rockford Lake,” I replied, sitting atop a hill overlooking the state recreation area as a lone boat and accompanying skier made waves across the water while one RV sat in the campground.
“It’s gorgeous,” Jones said, her eyes surveying everything in front of her.
The area was so beautiful that questions naturally began to form. How have I not fished here before? Is this area always so void of people? Is this place new?
No, not new. Just new to me.
The History of Rockford Lake
The Rockford Township was founded by William Girl in 1858 and is named for the rock quarries near Mud Creek. More than a century later, Mud Creek featured a prominent role in the development of Rockford Lake State Recreation Area. According to records from the Gage County Historical Society, the Mud Creek Watershed in the Rockford Township became Nebraska’s first watershed to include recreation as an additional primary purpose.
The lake had originally been planned as a 62-acre flood-control structure, but the Small Watersheds Act of 1962 broadened its scope, increasing its size for recreation purposes as well.
In a 1970 Lincoln Journal-Star article, Dean Terrill writes: “What distinguishes the 150-acre recreation jewel [Rockford Lake State Recreation Area] is the funding behind it, first of its kind in Nebraska.”
The article states that the combination of federal and Game and Parks Commission funds, a 50/50 split, was unique. The price tag of $300,000 was to pay for the land and gravel roads, as well as the beach, boat ramp, two shelter houses and picnic tables.
Construction began in 1964, and Rockford Lake State Recreation Area opened in 1970. “Rockford,” Terrill wrote, “will further Gage County’s claim as ‘the Watershed capital of Nebraska.’”
And judging from a photo of the packed beaches on Memorial Day weekend that year, that statement seemed to hold true.
Forever Away
On the day we visited, however, there were no crowded beaches or campgrounds. Just a couple of kids taking in the sun between casts. Meanwhile, a group of other teenagers goofed around in the water nearby while a handful of RV campers enjoyed the afternoon quiet.
Usually on days like this, I approach and ask everyone about their day. But I already knew that answer. They had come to Rockford Lake State Recreation Area to get away from everything. To ski, to fish, to hike, to simply be — and do so just a few miles from Beatrice and what seemed like forever away.
Rockford had been constructed with recreation in mind. And sometimes recreation is best spent in a quiet place away from everyone, including a newcomer like me.
For more information about Rockford Lake State Recreation Area and the rest of the Nebraska park system, visit OutdoorNebraska.gov/Parks.
Amenities
Rockford’s first-come, first-served shaded campground offers a variety of camping options. It offers 30 camping pads with 30- and 50-amp electrical hookups, as well as two camping pads and 40 non-pad sites without electricity.
Water and vault toilets are available, but showers, modern restrooms and a dump station are not. The nearest dump station is at Rock Creek Station SRA, a 45-minute drive away.
The lake holds a variety of fish species, including bluegill, channel catfish, crappie, largemouth bass and other species.
A 1-mile hiking trail, swim beach, 90 picnic tables, 88 grills and two shelters are also available.
For more information about parks near Rockford or across the state, visit OutdoorNebraska.gov/parks/find-a-park.