Oglala Dam (National ID # SD00969) is a dam in

Oglala Lakota County, South Dakota Oglala Lakota County (known as Shannon County until May 2015) is a county in southwestern South Dakota, United States. The population was 13,672 at the 2020 census. Oglala Lakota County does not have a functioning county seat; Hot Springs in ne ...

, within the

Pine Ridge Indian Reservation The Pine Ridge Indian Reservation ( lkt, Wazí Aháŋhaŋ Oyáŋke), also called Pine Ridge Agency, is an Oglala Lakota Indian reservation located entirely within the U.S. state of South Dakota. Originally included within the territory of the Gr ...

Men working on the Oglala Dam project - NARA - 285457

The earthen dam was constructed between 1938 and 1941 by the

United States Bureau of Indian Affairs The Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), also known as Indian Affairs (IA), is a United States federal agency within the Department of the Interior. It is responsible for implementing federal laws and policies related to American Indians and Al ...

using labor of the

Civilian Conservation Corps The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) was a voluntary government work relief program that ran from 1933 to 1942 in the United States for unemployed, unmarried men ages 18–25 and eventually expanded to ages 17–28. The CCC was a major part of ...

and the

Public Works Administration The Public Works Administration (PWA), part of the New Deal of 1933, was a large-scale public works construction agency in the United States headed by Secretary of the Interior Harold L. Ickes. It was created by the National Industrial Recove ...

.Raymond J. De Mallie, "Pine Ridge Economy: Historical and Cultural Perspectives," collected in American Indian Economic Development, edited by Sam Stanley, page 281 The structure has a height of 80 feet and a length of 2600 feet at its crest.Oglala Dam
/ref> It impounds White Clay Creek for irrigation storage. The dam is owned and operated by the

Oglala Sioux Tribe The Oglala (pronounced , meaning "to scatter one's own" in Lakota language) are one of the seven subtribes of the Lakota people who, along with the Dakota, make up the Očhéthi Šakówiŋ (Seven Council Fires). A majority of the Oglala live o ...

. The reservoir it creates, Oglala Lake, has a normal water surface of 643 acres and has a maximum capacity of 18,300

acre-feet The acre-foot is a non- SI unit of volume equal to about commonly used in the United States in reference to large-scale water resources, such as reservoirs, aqueducts, canals, sewer flow capacity, irrigation water, and river flows. An acre-f ...

. As a development project, even after significant government subsidies, the dam has been "a dismal failure from the year of its construction." The Oglala Sioux Tribe website reports 3 to 4 "seasonal openings each year." The Safety of Dams Program monitors the Dam's water levels and flows for early detection of major dam breach/breaks or severe flood emergencies." The dam and lake are just south of

Oglala, South Dakota Oglala (Lakota: ''Oglála''; "he scatters his own") is a census-designated place (CDP) in West Oglala Lakota Unorganized Territory (civil township) equivalent, Oglala Lakota County, South Dakota, United States. The population was 1,282 at the 2 ...

, near

U.S. Route 18 U.S. Route 18 (US 18) is an east–west U.S. highway in the Midwestern United States. The western terminus is in Orin, Wyoming at an interchange with Interstate 25. Its eastern terminus is in downtown Milwaukee, Wisconsin. However, US 18 run ...

External links

Oglala Lakota Sioux Tribe

References

{{authority control Dams in South Dakota Reservoirs in South Dakota Dams completed in 1941 Buildings and structures in Oglala Lakota County, South Dakota Bodies of water of Oglala Lakota County, South Dakota Public Works Administration in South Dakota Civilian Conservation Corps in South Dakota

See also

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References