Fort Peck, Montana July 28 and 29

We arrived here yesterday and found a great Corp of Engineers Campground right in the center of the dam region. For people that are interested in dams, Fort Peck is the large hydraulically-filled dam in the world, the largest earthen dam in the U.S, and the 3rd largest earthen dam in the world. Impressive, yes? We took the tour of the power plant which was interesting. A little history about Fort Peck. Construction of the Fort Peck Dam started in 1933 when Franklin D. Roosevelt authorized the project as part of the New Deal during the Great Depression. More than 40,000 people flooded to the area looking for work, creating 18 boom towns featuring businesses and schools. The work force peaked in 1936, with 10, 564 workers directly linked to the dam. Workers overcame a massive earth slide in 1938, affecting a quarter of the dam. The dam was completed 2 years later, seven yrs. after it was authorized. The original purpose of the dam was flood control and navigation. Fort Peck later became a Pick-Sloan Missouri Basin Project which was authorized in the 1944 Flood Control Act. Authorized purposes include flood control, navigation, hydroelectric power, fish and wildlife, recreation, irrigation, public water and water quality. Exploring the area was fun. We went into the town of Fort Peck and discovered a beautiful theatre which was their only entertainment in those days. The workers put on their own shows. There is a museum of fossils which were plentiful in this area. Also we visited a fish hatchery and many recreation areas. This is, by far, one of the most interesting areas we have visited. So much to see and we are going to try our best to see it all! We will send pictures as soon as we get a faster Internet connection. Love to you all