2 June 2017
After leaving the ACOE campground, we visited the Fort Peck Dam and visitor center. Enjoyed some great views of the dam and spillway. The campground is located behind the dam. It is a nice place to overnight or spend some time enjoying the lake or local attractions. Somehow, we failed to get a picture of this campground.
After leaving the ACOE campground, we visited the Fort Peck Dam and visitor center. Enjoyed some great views of the dam and spillway. The campground is located behind the dam. It is a nice place to overnight or spend some time enjoying the lake or local attractions. Somehow, we failed to get a picture of this campground.
We visited
the dam first, as the visitor center was not yet open. The dam is the highest of six dams on the
Missouri River and the largest hydraulically filled dam in the US. Driving up on the dam and looking in both
directions was truly an amazing sight.
The dam was started in the early 1930’s and at its peak had over 10, 000
workers on site. The town of Fort Peck
was built to support this project providing housing and all the other needs for
the construction team.
In 1938,
an inspection by the construction engineers discovered problems on the site but
before any action could be taken the dam started to collapse. At least eight men died but only two could be
recovered from the mud. The rest are buried in the dam still.
We walked
along the dam in the strong winds to view the spill ways and enjoy the
view. I found two rattlesnakes on the
dam. Since it was cold and windy, I believe
the first died from exposure and the second clearly had a run in with a
vehicle.
The
visitor center was very well done with history of the area and the dam. It added to the experience.
9 comments:
Some of the best walleye fishing is at Fort Peck.
For a minute there, I thought you found live rattlesnakes on the dam road. That dam looks very impressive.
That museum is really nice. Oh how I don't like snakes!
What an interesting place to discover for sure!
Very sad story about the dam workers. I'm not a fan of dams. Glad those rattlers were no threat to you.
Very interesting history of Fort Peck Dam! That was a very big Rattlesnake....glad he was dead and not a threat to you guys! What a nice visitor center!!
I'm always amazed at how dams are constructed. Interesting site to visit one of these days!
Sure must be cold up there now! Warming up in Florida yet?
Damn, I "might have had an accident" if I stumbled up on that big rattler!
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