Lake Sakakawea
| Lake Sakakawea | |
|---|---|
| Location | North Dakota |
| Coordinates | 47°29′N 101°25′W / 47.483°N 101.417°W |
| Type | reservoir |
| Primary inflows | Missouri River, Yellowstone River |
| Primary outflows | Missouri River |
| Catchment area | 317,400 km² |
| Basin countries | United States |
| Max. depth | 55 m |
| Water volume | 15.8 billion m³ [1] |
| Surface elevation | 554 m [1] |
| References | [1] |
Lake Sakakawea is a reservoir in the Missouri River basin in central North Dakota. Named for the Shoshone-Hidatsa woman Sakakawea, it is the third largest man-made lake in the United States, after Lake Mead and Lake Powell.
It is located about 80 km (50 mi) from Bismarck, North Dakota; the distance by the river is about 120 km (75 mi). The lake averages between 2 and 3 miles (3-5 km) in width and is 14 miles (21 km) wide at its widest point (Van Hook arm). Lake Sakakawea marks the maximum southwest extent of glaciation during the ice age.
The reservoir was created with the completion of Garrison Dam in 1956, the second (and largest) of six main-stem dams on the Missouri River built and managed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for flood control, hydroelectric power, navigation and irrigation.
The creation of the lake displaced members of the Fort Berthold Indian Reservation from the cities of Van Hook and (Old) Sanish, forcing the creation of New Town. Incidentally, one name that had been proposed for New Town was 'Vanish' (a pun on the two previous towns' names). A third reservation town, Elbowoods was also lost to the lake. These three towns are commemorated in the names of the 3 campground sections at Lake Sakakawea State Park.
Lake Sakakawea is also home to many summer camps, including Triangle Y Camp and Camp of the Cross.
Lake Sakakawea State Park
Lake Sakakawea State Park is the western terminus of the 7,400 km (4,600 mi) North Country National Scenic Trail which is a National Millennium Trail that crosses the northern rim of the continental United States to Port Henry, New York. The park was originally developed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers as Garrison Lake State Park. In 1965 the North Dakota Parks and Recreation Department assumed management of the park and renamed it Lake Sakakawea State Park in honor of the Shoshone/Hidatsa woman Sacagawea who guided the Lewis and Clark Expedition up the Missouri River from Fort Mandan in April 1805.
Statistics[2]
- Maximum water storage: 23.8 million acre feet (29.4 km³)
- Maximum water depth: 180 ft (55 m) at the face of the dam
- Normal surface area[3]: 307 000 acres (1 240 km²)
- Normal length[3]: 178 mi (286 km)
- Normal shoreline[3]: 1 320 mi (2 120 km)
Notes
External links
- McLean County and Lake Sakakawea History
- History of Lake Sakakawea State Park