Remmel, Catherine, Carpenter, and Hamilton: Who were they?

The lakes and the dams on the Ouachita River are named after family and associates close to Harvey Couch, the founder of Arkansas Light & Power, which later became Arkansas Power & Light, which later became part of Entergy.

Remmel Dam was named after Colonel H. L. Remmel, who, at Couch's request, used his influence with Secretary of War John Weeks to get Weeks to quickly arrange a meeting that resulted in approval of the elusive license to build the dam.

The lake formed by Remmel Dam was named after Couch's only daughter, Catherine, who was six years old when the dam was completed.

Carpenter Dam was named after Flave Carpenter, an ex-riverboat captain, who guided Couch on horseback along the Ouachita River charting probable spots for a dam. Carpenter was an instrumental advisor throughout the development of hydro projects on the Ouachita. Carpenter's great-grandson, Flave Carpenter, is an Entergy employee today, working as a community developer for Teamwork Arkansas.

Couch named Lake Hamilton, the lake formed by Carpenter Dam, after his friend and attorney Hamilton Moses.