The Lake Maloney Dam was constructed in 1935 and holds 7.09 billion gallons of water. The Lake covers 1,650 acres of water. Charles H. Morrill, a civil engineer, created Lake Maloney. He called Lake Maloney his professional pride. Which is saying a lot. Besides being a civil engineer, he also was a rancher/farmer, ran a small store and started the Bank of Stromsberg (NE). He helped the Burlington Railroad explore the Midwest territories to help determine the best routes for railroads. His exploration work established the location of Scottsbluff, NE and a town that he named after himself, Morrill, NE which later became Morrill County. Incidentally, Morrill Hall at the University of Nebraska/Lincoln was also named after Morrill because he was on the Board of Regents and donated funds for construction of the building. One of Morrill's best friends was Buffalo Bill. Charles Morrill's granddaughter, Jody Wolcott, married a famous Nebraskan, Johnny Carson. They were married in North Platte, NE and had their wedding reception at Pawnee Hotel. 
 
Lake Maloney was named after an undertaker, William R. Maloney. Mr. Maloney was a civic leader and was the original director, organizer, and vice-president of the Platte Valley Public Power and Irrigation District. 
 
The primary purpose of Lake Maloney is to regulate the flow of water for generating electricity at the hydro facility. At maximum fill the Lake is 44 feet high. The distance around the lake is 9 miles. NPPD began leasing land to cabin dwellers in the 1950's.