Building of Pickstown & Fort Randall Dam with Bill Lampman

Pickstown and the Fort Randall Dam were nicknamed “Miracle on the Missouri” because construction of the town and dam was essentially completed in 10 years. Bill Lampman of Pickstown shares the history of the town, the dam, and Pickstown & Fort Randall Museum. Pierre historian, Ken Stewart and attendees, also share their memories of what Pickstown was like during its heyday. The program is sponsored by the South Dakota Historical Society Foundation, the nonprofit fundraising partner of the South Dakota State Historical Society.

The book, “The Building of Pickstown and Fort Randall Dam,” emphasizes the importance of the Fort Randall Dam. The dam was one of six mainstem dams built on the Missouri River as part of the Pick-Sloan Plan authorized by Congress in 1944. Pickstown was designed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to provide housing for those who would build and maintain Fort Randall Dam. Pickstown was unique because the town did not exist before the corps built it. It was designed to have everything a town of 5,000 would need: a school, hospital, hotel, beauty parlor, barber shop, movie theater, bowling alley, churches and more. The Corps started the town in 1946 and it was finished in 1949. The first contract on the dam was awarded in September 1947 and the dam was completed in 1956. The dam was the largest construction project undertaken at that time in South Dakota.

Lampman and his wife, Rosemary, have lived in Pickstown since 2002. He is director of the Pickstown & Fort Randall Museum. Former Pickstown residents decided at a school reunion that the history of Pickstown and Fort Randall needed to be preserved or it would be lost to future generations. The museum was dedicated in 2014, with retired NBC Nightly News anchor Tom Brokaw, who grew up in Pickstown, being the keynote speaker.

Like to see more presentations like this? Help support the great work of the SD Historical Society Press. Become a member, become a donor, or purchase the book "The Building of Pickstown and Fort Randall Dam." www.sdhsf.org

Each month via Zoom conferencing we offer engaging conversations and entertaining discussions on South Dakota history presented by the South Dakota Historical Society Foundation and South Dakota Historical Society Press.
History Talks 20210708