In 1955, the Army Corps closed Gavins Point Dam on the Missouri: 71 years later, Lewis and Clark Lake has grown into a Great Plains recreation hub

In the early hours of July 31, 1955, the US Army Corps of Engineers closed the final gap in Gavins Point Dam near Yankton, South Dakota, and water began backing up to form Lewis and Clark Lake. Official project statistics published by the Corps of Engineers confirm the closure date, along with reservoir filling that began the following month and reached the minimum operating pool by December 22 of that year. More than seven decades later, that same stretch of water now draws over two million visitors a year according to federal recreation data, making it one of the busiest outdoor recreation destinations anywhere in the Upper Great Plains.

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