| Lake Nixon | |
| Coordinates: | 34.7181°N -92.4339°W |
| Added: | June 5, 2017 |
| Area: | 185.5acres |
| Refnum: | 100001013 |
Lake Nixon is a private recreation area on Cooper Orbit Road on the southwestern outskirts of Little Rock, Arkansas. The lake is 34acres in size, with a narrow shape oriented roughly northwest to southeast. The south side of the lake is in a natural state, while the central portion of the north shore has been developed as a summer day camp. The site of the camp was the subject of a ground-breaking civil rights case, Daniel v. Paul, decided by the United States Supreme Court in 1969. The camp was in 1966 a private enterprise offering membership for a low fee ($.25) to whites, but refused to grant memberships to African-Americans. Two African American girls sought admission to the grounds during a heat wave in 1966, and filed suit after they were refused. The Supreme Court ruled that the club constituted a public accommodation under civil rights legislation. This case was key in combatting the use of private clubs as a means for racial discrimination.[1]
The lake and surrounding amenities were listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2017.