Fort Peck Dam and Lake

Within a few miles of Glasgow is the Fort Peck Dam and Lake which was created in the late 1930's when a massive Depression works job was created to make the largest earth dam across the Missouri River.  The original purpose of the dam was slow down the floods and control the spring snow melt from the Rockies and help downstream the towns and businesses not get flooded out.  It was not until completion of the dam did they then put in hydroelectric equipment to harness the water to create electricity for millions of people and businesses.

Got a shock to see the Fort Peck Lake open up in front of us

4 intake tunnels - all of the Missouri passes through bottom of these buildings

Collapse of dam - we were standing on the spot, eerie

Power plant, Missouri River below plant

Large 4 mile long earth dam, looking up to top

Today there are 27 designated recreational sites boarding the shores

There is a visitors center located near the dam.  Inside is also quite elaborate in describing the building of the dam, what the area looked liked millions of years ago (T Rex's roamed this area), the wildlife/fish and fauna that you can find along the lake, just a wealth of information.  Displayed nicely.  While there we signed up for the tour of the hydroelectric plant (no pictures allowed).

Ariel view of plant, dam and Lake - looking south 

Every drop of the Missouri passes through Fort Peck Dam on it's way to the Mississippi

Center/museum was quite impressive

Lewis and Clark came through this area in 1805 on their way to the Pacific and then return 1806 literally flew by (traveling by boats with the current and also being chased by the Blackfeet Indians).  They were in the area for 16 days with as many camp sites although only 3 of the sites remain above water today, located on the western most area and on private land.  With the flooding of the Missouri from the building of the dam, the River grew to a lake that is 134 miles long with a shoreline that measures about 1,520 miles.  The lake encompasses 245,000 acres with an average depth of 75 feet, some places reaching 220 feet deep.  The size of the lake makes it the largest in surface area of Montana, leaving Flathead Lake  largest in volume due to it's depth.  By naming the Missouri River which at times was very shallow, the dame changed the whole complex of ecosystem by becoming cold water due to it's depth.  Many businesses and homes/farms/ranches were lost to the flood.  Fort Peck Dam was the first dam of 6 that eventually span the Missouri River down to it's confluence of the Mississippi River in St. Louis.

Campsites of Lewis and Clark are now underwater in this area - picture of
River as it was in 1805.

Lake is HUGE

When the construction was near completion of the dam, part of the east slope gave way and collapsed, killing 8 men, 6 which were buried deep in the mud/slide, their bodies never recovered.  At one point over 10,000 people worked on the dam, either in direct building of it or in support economies such as food supplies, building supplies, restaurants, businesses, etc.  Today the town of  Fort Peck remains but it is a stable little community of over 1000 people.  Some of the original buildings still stand and are in use such as the theater, hotel, and administration buildings.

Old hotel, now Corp of Engineers Admin Offices