“The Oahe Dam is a large man-made dam along the Missouri River, just north of Pierre, South Dakota in the United States. It creates Lake Oahe,
“the 4th largest man-made reservoir in the United States, which stretches 231 miles up the course of the Missouri to Bismarck, North Dakota.
“The dam's power plant provides electricity for much of the north-central United States. It is named for the Oahe Indian Mission established among the Lakota Sioux in 1874.
“The project provides flood control, electric power, irrigation, and navigation benefits, estimated by the Corps of Engineers at $150,000,000 per year.
“In September and October 1804, the Lewis and Clark Expedition passed through what is now Lake Oahe while exploring the Missouri River.
“Oahe Dam was authorized by the Flood Control Act of 1944, and construction by the United States Army Corps of Engineers began in 1948. The earth and shale main dam reached its full height in October 1959. It was officially dedicated by President John F. Kennedy on August 17, 1962, in which year it began generating power. The original project cost was $340,000,000.”
The south side of the dam has a big sandy beach, which comes in quite handy during the summer months. This portion of the Missouri River, known as Lake Sharpe, is a great haven for fishermen of walleye salmon.
Next we find ourselves on the grounds of the state capitol here in Pierre.
I remember back when I ran Master Control at Newschannel 8 that there was a public service announcement, or PSA, that ran on ABC and it starred actor Tom Hanks. He was asking for donations for the building of a monument to salute and remember our veterans of World War II. And he questioned why it had taken, at the time, 50 years for something like this to come to fruition?? On Memorial Day 2004, this WWII monument opened to the general public and has been quite the crowd attraction. I took my Dad down there in October 2004 as appreciation for the replacement window work we had done on my house that summer. And when I was deciding what hat to wear while on my 2-week vacation, I chose my National WWII Memorial hat.
Back on Labor Day weekend of 2001, a monument was dedicated to the veterans of South Dakota from WWII, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War. The monument has a cascading waterfall thru the middle of the Korean and Vietnam portion and then you have the 6 soldiers representing the military services of our country.
Next to this memorial is one for the EMT, Police and Firefighters of South Dakota who lost their lives in the line of duty.
One of them is my friend Jenn’s paternal grandfather, Virgil Deyo, who was a policeman for the City of Huron. His name resides on this monument.
Jenn never knew her grandfather due to the time of her birth but her grandfather is held in the highest regard.
As we approach Veteran’s Day here in the U.S., please take a moment to remember our veterans in your thoughts and prayers. And if you happen to come upon some veterans out there selling their poppy flowers or if there is a veteran in your family, please say thank you to them for their service for our independence. It is the least that we can do and to bring a smile on any veteran’s face is a good thing. Thanks, Dad.
And don’t forget out EMT, police and firefighters. Their efforts are deeply appreciated.
We say bye to Jenn and her family at 3pm CDT and head to the town of Gordon, NE.
Two hundred miles and 3 hours and change later, I arrive at 5:15pm MDT to visit an old friend from Newschannel 8 who has come full circle to where he was born and raised. His name is Ray Waldron. Goodness knows we had several names for him from Ray to The Ray Man to Ray Ray to Mr. Ray but when we called him he sure came running. Ray was one of our maintenance engineers, certified in fixing any broadcast gear from Sony and was one of the best IT guys when it came to any of the computers and the computer networks that we used in News and Engineering. A few years ago, Ray came out to visit his folks in Chadron, about 20 miles west of Gordon. And Ray met an old high school girlfriend of his named Elaine. Well, one thing led to another and Ray and Elaine ended up getting married and Ray moved back to Nebraska. He works for Gordon Memorial Hospital as their computer IT guy. We had a delicious slow-cooked pot roast dinner tonight with all of the trimmings and some very good banana nut bread for dessert. Ray says he doesn’t miss TV but he was attentive as I brought him up to speed with his former friends and colleagues at Newschannel 8.
So now I am back at the Jefco Inn and it is time to call it a day. Monday is a full day on the road and we get back into train chasing, following the BNSF from Ellsworth, NE to Thedford, NE and back to the UP from North Platte, NE to Cheyenne, WY. Weather will be sunny for a 450-mile trip in about 10 hours. Should be a good day.
I’m Philip J Zocco. On The Road. In Gordon, Nebraska.
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