little more than 50 years ago today, construction began on what is now known as Gavins Point Dam in Yankton, South Dakota. On May 18, 1952, a planned explosion on an island in the Missouri River changed the course of the river forever. The plan was put into place in order to tame the wild, destructive river that once flooded entire towns. 

The Missouri River is a necessary vital resource for millions of people, yet it is a resource which many people take for granted. The Missouri River drains an area roughly equal to one-sixth of the 50 states. The basin's boundaries are the Rocky Mountains on the west and Canada on the north. It extends south to the Arkansas River drainage and the central part of the states of Colorado and Kansas and eastward until it joins the Mississippi River just above St. Louis, Missouri. 

	Gavin's Point Dam and Spillway

Two federal agencies, the Bureau of Reclamation and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers are given responsibility for water management within the basin. 

In 1942, the Bureau of Reclamation and Corps of Engineers each prepared plans, multi-purpose basin wide approaches, for management of the Missouri Basin area. Even though there was competition between the two agencies, the plans complemented one another and Congress asked for a compromise. The result was comprehensive plan called the Missouri River Basin Project, authorized by the Flood Control Act of 1944. In 1970, the bill was renamed the Pick-Sloan Plan to recognize the leaders of the Corps of Engineers and Bureau of Reclamation, Lt.General Lewis Pick and William G. Sloan. 

Gavins Point Dam was named after Michael Gavin whose land was originally chosen for the dam site, however, the dam was eventually located downstream at historic Calumet Bluff. Gavins Point was the third of five dams placed on the Missouri River, all of which were erected to provide flood control, irrigation, water supply, navigation, fish and wildlife, recreation and hydropower. It is also the main stem dam that is closest to the mouth of the Mississippi River.

The worst flood in Missouri River history occurred just weeks before the groundbreaking in 1952. The flood moved the river into a new channel that curved into Nebraska. A construction company out of Kansas City that was contracted to do the earthwork had to restore the river to its original course by building a dike.

The construction of the dam brought many new jobs to the area and made Yankton into somewhat of a boon town. Construction of the dam and power house took five years and would have cost around $50 million in today's economy to build.

To close the dam, water releases were reduced at Fort Randall, and then the contractor dumped earth into the narrowing channel of the Missouri River. Workmen worked around the clock and finally closed the gap at 4:05 a.m. on July 31, 1955. Seven thousand people were on the banks to celebrate. The completed dam is more than 1.5 miles long, 850 feet thick at its base and 74 feet high. Energy was first generated by the dam's three generators in 1956. Today, it could light three cities the size of Yankton with its output.

 

	Lewis and Clark Lake Marina

The 25-mile long Lewis and Clark Lake was formed by the dam. It is one of the largest tourism draws in the state, bringing in almost $11.4 million in revenue in 2001. Only two other sites in South Dakota bring tourist in by the millions. They are Mount Rushmore at 2.5 million visitors each year, and Custer State Park with 1.6 million. The Lewis and Clark lake area brings in just over a million. It has certainly put Yankton on the map in terms of recreation areas.

As a child growing up in the sixties, my family spent every Memorial Day week-end camping at the Lewis & Clark Recreation Area on this lake. Today's facilities consist of: