Lake Shelbyville Dam was created for flood damage reduction. It was built over the 1963 to 1970 time period. Ironically at the time I was there a large area of the area above the dam (at the top left of the first picture) was almost completely submerged and roped off. Presumably the dam helped to mitigate damage downstream. The reservoir offers recreational opportunities such as swimming, boating and fishing.
These photos were taken from a camera rig suspended below a kite (Kite Aerial Photography – KAP).
Lake Shelbyville Dam near Shelbyville, Illinois. The reservoir in the background offers many recreational opportunities.
Fishing below the dam is a popular pastime.
Overhead shot of a woman sitting by the water’s edge. You can see several fishing rods resting on the step behind her.
This is a view of part of the recreational park area below the dam and the Kaskaskia River. You can see the kite line in the left hand side of the image.
Another overhead shot of someone sitting by the edge of the river.
A low altitude aerial shot of the park and the outfall area of the dam.
You can see additional pictures from my KAP 2008-36 outing in the Kite Aerial Photography Gallery on my website.
Rob's Photo Blog 
I’ve wonderful memories of many summers spent in Shelbyville camping and boating with my son. Thank you for renewed memories of the awesome scenery.