Throughout its 157 year history, life in Yankton has centered around the Missouri River. Steamboat traffic on the river helped the town grow after its founding in 1857. But both Yankton and the river have changed over the years, most dramatically with the construction of dams on the Missouri, including the Gavin’s Point Dam west of town. The dams brought an end to navigation, but controlled flooding, generated electricity and created new recreational opportunities, with visitors camping, boating, swimming and fishing at Lewis and Clark Lake.
Even with the dams, there are still a couple of free-flowing stretches of natural, wild and scenic river. There’s a 39-mile stretch from just below Fort Randall Dam at Pickstown to Running Water, and a 59-mile stretch from just below Gavins Point Dam to Ponca State Park in northeast Nebraska.
Dugan Smith, Missouri National Recreational River Acting Chief of Interpretation, Education & Outreach, joined Dakota Midday and discussed the importance of the Missouri River to the Yankton area.
