Department of Parks
Greenbo Lake State Resort Park To Honor One Of Its Founders

FRANKFORT, Ky. – Greenbo Lake State Resort Park will hold a ceremony on July 24 to recognize one of the founders of the park – George Collins.

Collins, a Russell hardware store owner, helped develop the lake in the 1950s as part of an effort by a local fish and game club that had members from Greenup and Boyd counties. The name “Greenbo” comes from the two county names.

Collins’ family has made a $10,000 contribution for a memorial that will be part of the park’s amphitheater, which is under construction. Collins’ daughter, Julie Emrich, of Upland, Calif., plans to attend the ceremony.

The ceremony will take place at 2 p.m. at a shelter house near the Buffalo School House at the park. (In case of rain, the ceremony will be moved to the park lodge). A tour of the amphitheater site will follow.

Collins and other members of the Greenbo Recreation Association raised more than $210,000 from individuals and businesses to purchase 3,300 acres and construct a dam to create a lake.

The lake and surrounding property was later turned over to the state for use as a state park in 1958. The lodge opened in 1971.

Besides Collins, the other founders of the Greenbo Recreational Association were:

Dr. Virgil Skaggs, Jim Wilson, L.G. Mullins, James Gibson, Fred A. Stewart, Dr. Harry J. Stone, Dr. Frank W. Gwinn, Norris Fletcher, Bronston Steele, E.R. Hilton, Ross Simpson, Arthur Sparks, Oscar Sammons, Claude Fannin, Philip Justice and Charles W. Kopp.

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The Kentucky State Park System is composed of 52 state parks plus an interstate park shared with Virginia. The Department of Parks, an agency of the Commerce Cabinet, operates 17 resort parks with lodges -- more than any other state. Each year, Kentucky parks draw 7 million visitors and contribute $317 million to the economy. For more information on Kentucky parks, visit our Web site at http://www.parks.ky.gov