Lewis and Clark Lake
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| Lewis and Clark Lake | |
|---|---|
msl | |
| Settlements | Yankton, SD Springfield, SD Running Water, SD Santee, NE Niobrara, NE |
| 1 Shore length is not a well-defined measure. | |
Lewis and Clark Lake is a 31,400
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Omaha
District.
History
The Missouri River Valley Area is abound with history involving several early Native American Tribes, Pioneers, and other settlers to the area due to ease of river transportation and abundant resources.[3] Lewis and Clark Lake is named after explorers Meriwether Lewis and William Clark of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. The lake is located along the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail.[4]
The
Santee Sioux arrived on the river shore in the mid-1800s and remain in the area. In 1804, while traveling up the Missouri River on their epic journey to the Pacific Ocean, Lewis and Clark participated in a Grand council with the Yankton Sioux at a site below Calumet Bluff. This significant meeting was the first meeting with a Sioux tribe on their journey upstream.[6]
In 1874, the
Mennonite movement exiled from Austria, settled on what is now the north shore of Lewis and Clark Lake. They are the first Hutterite Colony in South Dakota and the United States. The colony maintains a traditional communal way of life.[7]
The lake was filled in 1957 with the completion of construction of Gavins Point Dam across the river valley.
Location
The lake is an
St. Louis, Missouri where the Missouri River joins the Mississippi River. The lake is located within Cedar and Knox Counties in Nebraska and Bon Homme and Yankton Counties in South Dakota. Lake Yankton is located immediately downstream of Gavins Point Dam. The Santee Sioux Reservation is located along the southwestern shore in Knox County. The lake is located approximately 4 miles (6.4 km) west or upstream of Yankton, South Dakota.[8]
Lewis and Clark Visitor Center
The Lewis and Clark Visitor Center is located just south of Gavins Point Dam atop
American Bald Eagle, which frequents the Missouri River below the dam, especially in winter months. The visitors center is operated and staffed by U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Park Rangers, who also give guided tours of Gavins Point Dam and the power plant.[9]
Parks and recreation
Lewis and Clark Lake is a very popular regional tourist destination in the upper
waterfowl viewing and hunting opportunities along the Missouri River flyway
.
Located downstream of the lake is the 59-mile reach of the Missouri National Recreational River (MNRR) which stretches eastward from the dam to Ponca State Park, upstream of the lake is the 39-mile reach of the MNRR which stretches westward to Fort Randall Dam.
List of recreation and public use areas
The following are public parks and lake access areas on Lewis and Clark Lake:[11]
- Nebraska:
- Lewis and Clark State Recreation Area (NE GPC)
- Weigand-Burbach Area & Marina
- South Shore Recreation Area
- Bloomfield Recreation Area
- Miller Creek Recreation Area
- Niobrara State Park (NE GPC)
- Niobrara Recreation Area (Village of Niobrara)
- USACE)
- Hideaway Acres (Hideaway Acres Assn.)
- Santee Recreation Area (USACE & Santee Sioux Nation)
- Cottonwood Recreation Area (USACE)
- Nebraska Tailwaters Recreation Area (USACE)
- Training Dike Recreation Area (USACE)
- Deep Water Area (USACE)
- Devil's Nest (USACE)
- Bazile Creek Wildlife Management Area (NE GPC)
- Lewis and Clark State Recreation Area (NE GPC)
- South Dakota:
- Lewis & Clark Recreation Area (SD GFP)
- Lewis & Clark Marina and Resort
- Pierson Ranch Recreation Area
- Chief White Crane Recreation Area
- Gavins Point National Fish Hatchery and Aquarium (U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service)
- Tabor Lakeside Use Area (SD GFP)
- Charley Creek Lakeside Use Area (SD GFP)
- Twin Bridges Lakeside Use Area (SD GFP)
- Sand Creek Lakeside Use Area (SD GFP)
- Springfield Recreation Area (SD GFP)
- Springfield Bottoms Game Production Area (SD GFP)
- Running Water Lakeside Use Area (SD GFP)
- Lewis & Clark Recreation Area (SD GFP)
- Key:
- NE GPC = Nebraska Game and Parks Commission
- USACE = U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
- SD GFP = South Dakota Department of Game, Fish and Parks
Fish, wildlife and natural resources
The
American Bald Eagle is commonly seen around the dam and lake area, especially in the winter months. Each January the Lewis and Clark Visitor Center hosts "Bald Eagle Days" a live-bird program that is popular with visitors.[12]
Species of
common carp, black bullhead, channel catfish, and smallmouth bass.[13] Fishing below Gavins Point Dam is very popular, especially for the annual paddlefish snagging season in October and bowfishing in June. The "Fishing Wall" immediately below the dam's spillway
is popular for fishing year-round as the dam keeps the river free of ice in the winter months.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the
channelization of the Missouri River.[14] The Gavins Point National Fish Hatchery is located just downstream of the lake.[15]
Current lake issues
There are several issues impacting recreation, wildlife, and other issues. In 2014
zebra mussels, an aquatic invasive mussel were discovered in the lake and have infested the reservoir and the Missouri River downstream of Gavins Point Dam.[16]
Lewis and Clark Lake is significantly impacted by
Nebraska Sandhills via the Niobrara River. As of 2016, approximately 30% of the lake's overall surface area has diminished due to sedimentation deposits, and some figures project by 2045 approximately 50% of the lake will be diminished due to sedimentation deposits. Presently, there is no plan or solution to remove or slow the progression of the siltation within the lake.[17]
See also
- Gavins Point Dam
- Lake Yankton
- Missouri National Recreational River
- Santee Sioux Reservation
- List of dams and reservoirs in South Dakota
- List of dams and reservoirs in Nebraska
- List of dams and reservoirs in United States
Further reading
External links
- U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Gavins Point Project & Lewis and Clark Lake (Official site)
- Corps Lakes - Lewis and Clark Lake
- Recreation.gov - Lewis and Clark Lake
- Lewis and Clark State Recreation Area - Nebraska Game and Parks Commission
- Lewis and Clark Recreation Area - South Dakota Department of Game, Fish & Parks
- Springfield Recreation Area - South Dakota Department of Game, Fish & Parks
References
- ^ "Gavins Point Dam & Power Plant". United States Army Corps of Engineers. Archived from the original on 2011-06-01. Retrieved 2010-04-26.
- ^ "Missouri River Dams & Lakes".
- ^ "Cultural Resources".
- ^ "Lewis & Clark National Historic Trail (U.S. National Park Service)".
- ^ "Omaha District > Missions > Dam and Lake Projects > Missouri River Dams > Gavins Point".
- ^ "Lewis & Clark National Historic Trail (U.S. National Park Service)".
- ^ "Omaha District > Missions > Dam and Lake Projects > Missouri River Dams > Gavins Point".
- ^ "Lewis & Clark Recreation Area - SD State Parks". Archived from the original on 2020-09-21. Retrieved 2019-01-26.
- ^ "Omaha District > Missions > Dam and Lake Projects > Missouri River Dams > Gavins Point".
- ^ "Corps Lakes Gateway: South Dakota - Lewis and Clark Lake".
- ^ File:LewisClarkLakeMap.png
- ^ "Omaha District > Missions > Dam and Lake Projects > Missouri River Dams > Gavins Point".
- ^ https://outdoornebraska.gov/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/2015FishSamplingReport_LewisAndClarkReservoir.pdf [bare URL PDF]
- ^ "MRRP - Missouri River Recovery Program". Archived from the original on 2016-11-23. Retrieved 2018-04-14.
- ^ "Gavins Point National Fish Hatchery".
- ^ "Zebra Mussels discovered at Lewis and Clark Lake".
- ^ http://msaconline.com/
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