Gavins Point reservoir gets a new name

The arrival of winter weather in December 1953 brought construction to a halt on the earthen embankment that would form the greater part of Gavins Point Dam.

Part of Calumet Bluff, where Lewis and Clark first met with the Yankton Sioux on Aug. 30, 1804, had been notched out and a hole 300 feet long, 120 feet wide and 100 feet deep had been excavated into the chalk stone for the foundation and substructure of the powerhouse.

When spring arrived, work resumed on the embankment. By the end of 1954, the embankment would be extended all the way to the South Dakota side except for a 600- foot gap through which the Missouri River would flow until the powerhouse and spillway were completed.

Not many stories about the construction appeared in area newspapers in 1954. The focus had shifted to the potential for recreation when the reservoir was filled.

“Gavins Point may become the darling of the Missouri River system,” said the Grand Island Independent of Aug. 29, 1953. “While folks are not overlooking flood control and power production, what really generates enthusiasm is the lake.“ Unlike the upstream reservoirs where the water level might fluctuate 25 feet or more each day, the water behind Gavins Point was expected to remain stable.

“Nebraska and South Dakota communities are planning recreational areas at Gavins Point,” said the Cedar County News of Dec. 10, 1953. “Okoboji can’t hold a candle to Gavins Point as a recreational playground. More than 800,000 people live within 150 miles of the reservoir.”

But in order to attract potential visitors, a sexier name than “the Gavins Point Reservoir” was needed. In December 1953, the Huron (S.D.) Daily Plainsman held a lake-naming contest. Readers were invited to submit names for the reservoirs behind three of the dams then under construction. The judges were Gen. Lewis A. Pick, Glenn Sloan, South Dakota Poet Laureate Badger Clark, and journalist Ida Alseth.

The winning entries were “Lake Verendrye” for the reservoir behind Oahe, “Lake Arikara” for Fort Randall and “Lewis and Clark Lake” for Gavins Point. The latter name was submitted by Carol Sims of Hitchcock, S.D. Of the three prize-winning names, only “Lewis and Clark Lake” was adopted. The reservoir behind the Oahe dam became “Lake Oahe” and the Fort Randall Reservoir was named “Lake Francis Case.”

Whether Lewis and Clark Lake was chosen because of Mrs. Sims’ suggestion or for other reasons is unclear. But of the three names, Lewis and Clark Lake was the most widely recognizable choice — and 1954 was the 150th anniversary of the famous Lewis and Clark expedition.

In June 1954, South Dakota Sen. Francis Case introduced a bill to name the Gavins Point reservoir Lewis and Clark Lake. In September, President Eisenhower signed the bill into law and Lewis and Clark Lake became the official name of the future reservoir.

But that was about as far as Ike was willing to go. After two hot wars – World War II and Korea – and a cold war with no end in sight, the skyrocketing national debt was a major concern. As an economy move, the Eisenhower administration ruled that the Army Corps could not acquire any additional land for recreational purposes. The “taking line” was set at 300 feet above the maximum expected flood level. This drastically reduced the number of acres available for recreation.

“Gavins Point Dam has been sold to the people of South Dakota chiefly on the fact it would provide recreation for the eastern part of the state,” complained South Dakota State Sen. L.R. Houck. “We were led to believe that the federal government would hand South Dakota vast playground but now the Corps of Engineers admits it has no authority for such a move.”

Paul Gilbert of the Nebraska Conservation Commission said the new policy hit him like an explosion. Gilbert said he had gone all over the basin promoting the recreational potential of the dam. In May, the Commission asked the Corps to reconsider their decision and purchase an additional 1,375 acres on the Nebraska side for public access and 990 acres in the Devils Nest to replace some of the wildlife habitat that would be destroyed by the lake.

But the Commission’s request was denied. “The day will come when this action will be regretted,“ said Gilbert. “By limiting the area that can be taken for public use, it opens up the property for commercial development.“ Gilbert was at least partially right. Instead of a wildlife refuge, part of the Devils Nest became a short-lived ski resort and housing development.

In September, South Dakota Gov. Sigurd Anderson and Nebraska Gov. Robert Crosby appealed directly to President Eisenhower to permit the Corps to acquire more land. Their appeal also was rejected. “Lewis and Clark Lake will be the finest lake of the lot,” said the Randolph Times of Nov. 18, 1954. “But can the public claim it?” According to the Times, millionaire sportsmen from all over the country were lining up to purchase the land surrounding the lake. “If that happens, it would mean ‘goodbye lake’ for the people who have been hoping for a recreational area for many years.”

While sportsmen and residents of communities hoping to benefit from tourism were disappointed, the farmers who owned property adjacent to the future lake were not. The landowners knew that once the lake filled, the value of their property would increase substantially. But should the government take their property through condemnation proceedings, the owners would likely receive considerably less than market value.

The landowners had a legitimate concern. When the government condemned 8,264 acres of bottom land that soon would be at the bottom of Lewis and Clark Lake, the owners received an average of $57 an acre. Underwater real estate is, of course, worth considerably less than beachfront property. The wrangling would continue for many years and neither side would get everything they wanted. That battle, however, is beyond the scope of this article.

By the end of 1954, the dam was about 45 percent complete. The biggest gains were made in the powerhouse and spillway. More than 500 men remained on the payroll through the winter and the workforce was expected to increase to 1,000 by summer.

Skilled workers were getting as much as $2.15 an hour. One of the workers was Howard Lorang of Hartington. Lorang, who operated a drag line on both Fort Randall and Gavins Point, was an uncle of this writer. And this writer hopes to wrap up this whole dam series next week.