“Oahe Dam Dedication”

‘The key to this Century is power - - power on the farm as well as in the factory - - power in the country as well as in the city.'

John F. Kennedy, 35th President of the United States, Oahe Dam Dedication, August 17, 1962

Over 5,000 people watched President Kennedy dedicate Oahe Dam. It was a highlight of the project which began in 1948 and was completed in 1964.

The President, then on a tour of western water projects, added Oahe Dam to his stops after receiving a letter from nine year old Jamie Damon, a Pierre grade school student, asking him to visit the project on which her father had worked.

Oahe Dam contains ninety-one million cubic yards of fill, backing up Lake Oahe for 250 miles. Built for flood control, hydroelectric production, irrigation, and navigation, Oahe Dam changed the face of South Dakota. Devastating Missouri River floods became a thing of the past. Oahe

provides economical electrical power, water for irrigation, a downstream basis for navigation, and has become a recreational haven for tens of thousands of visitors annually.

Oahe pronounced ‘oh-wa’-hee’ is an Indian word meaning firm foundation. Oahe Dam has certainly helped to provide South Dakota’s economy with a stable foundation that bears out its name.

Hughes County, Outside front door of Oahe Dam power house (2006)