Lake Sakakawea

Lake Sakakawea
from space, July 1996
Location	North Dakota
Coordinates	47.50°N 101.41°W / 47.50; -101.41 at Garrison Dam
Lake type	Reservoir
Primary inflows	Missouri River and Little Missouri River
Primary outflows	Missouri River
Catchment area	317,400 km2 (122,500 sq mi)
Basin countries	United States
Max. length	178 miles (286 km)
Surface area	307,000 acres (480 sq mi; 1,240 km2)
Max. depth	180 ft (55 m) at dam
Water volume	23,800,000 acre⋅ft (29.4 km3)
Shore length1	1,320 miles (2,120 km)
Surface elevation	1,817 ft (554 m)
References
1 Shore length is not a well-defined measure.

Lake Sakakawea

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Location in the United States

Lake Sakakawea is a reservoir in the north central United States, located in the Missouri River basin in central North Dakota. Named for the Shoshone-Hidatsa woman Sakakawea, it is the largest man-made lake in the state and the third largest in the nation, after Lake Mead and Lake Powell.

The lake lies in parts of six counties in western North Dakota: Dunn, McKenzie, McLean, Mercer, Mountrail, and Williams. A map centered on the Van Hook Arm 47°53′00″N 102°21′14″W of the lake shows its westward extent from its origin at the Garrison Dam.

It is located about fifty miles (80 km) from the state capital of Bismarck; the distance by the Missouri River is about 75 miles (120 km). The lake averages between 2–3 miles (3–5 km) in width and is 14 miles (23 km) wide at its widest point (Van Hook Arm). Lake Sakakawea marks the maximum southwest extent of glaciation during the ice age.

The reservoir was created by construction of Garrison Dam, completed 68 years ago in 1956. It is the second (and largest) of six main-stem dams on the Missouri River built and managed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for flood control, hydroelectric power, navigation, and irrigation.

The creation of the lake displaced members of the Fort Berthold Indian Reservation from their villages of Van Hook and (Old) Sanish, which were inundated by creation of the lake. They relocated and founded the villages of New Town, White Shield, and Mandaree. One name that had been proposed for New Town was Vanish (a portmanteau of the two previous towns' names). Elbowoods, a third reservation town where the agency headquarters, boarding school, hospital, and jail were located, was also lost to the lake. These three towns are commemorated in the names of the three campground sections at Lake Sakakawea State Park, a state park located adjacent to Garrison Dam.

Lake Sakakawea is home to many summer camps, including Triangle Y Camp and Camp of the Cross.

During a training flight in winter 1969, a U.S. Air Force interceptor aircraft crashed into the western portion of the lake on March 10. The F-106A Delta Dart (59-0014) was from Minot AFB, about sixty miles (100 km) north of the dam. The pilot ejected safely to land and the plane sank below the frozen lake surface. It was not located until more than 35 years later, in September 2004, after an extended search by a local surveyors' group.

Statistics

• Maximum water storage: 23,800,000 acre-feet (29.4 km³)
• Maximum water depth: 180 feet (55 m) at the face of the dam
• Normal surface area: 307,000 acres (480 sq mi; 1,240 km²)
• Normal length: 178 miles (286 km)
• Normal shoreline: 1,320 mi (2,120 km)

Source:

External links

• Lake Sakakawea History McLean County