Lake Taneycomo is a man-made lake or reservoir on the White River in the Ozark Mountains of Taney County, Missouri. The reservoir is named for the county in which it is located: Taney County, MO. Lake Taneycomo originated when the White River was confined by the completion of the Powersite Dam, near Forsyth, Missouri, in 1913. From 1913 until 1958 it was a warm water lake. In the 1920s and 1930s, tourists began to be drawn to the lake and its nearby communities, Branson and Rockaway Beach. Water skiing, boating, fishing, sunning and swimming drew folks to the warm waters of Lake Taneycomo. Restaurants, lodging and amusement attractions such as bumper cars and skee ball were plentiful in the towns along the lake.