The first sites that were considered were:
Juanita Lake‑ this would raise the lake four or five feet
James River, where the Kelly Creek and James River joined. This would back up the river to 4 1/2 feet and have water for about five miles
Kelly Creek near the Martin Hightower farm
Pipestem, about a mile east of Dover
Freshet draw near N.N. Loesch land at Melville; this would create a 40-acre lake with a depth of 16 feet.
The CCC camp was to be located at Carrington.
Source: A History of Foster County 1983 Page 17