Awhile back, I featured an image captured just ahead of a storm that approached the Fort Peck Lake and Dam. As I noted in that post, the dam is the largest manmade hydraulic dam in the world. Constructed during the great depression in the 1930s, it was a WPA project. Montana is known as Big Sky Country. Looking in the opposite direction from the image I posted here on 26 July, the dramatic sky was clearly too big to include in a single exposure.

About the photo: Though the Samsung S20U has a mode to automatically create panoramic images, I prefer to take multiple images and use Lightroom to stitch them together. That is what I did in this case as well. The images were captured at f/1.8, 1/120 sec., ISO-64. When the stitching was done, I used both Lightroom and Luminar 4 to tweak the photo for maximum drama. If your browser allows it, you can get a much better view by clicking on the image. Recently I’ve featured some of my images on my Flickr site as it provides a larger image view on a dark background, and when necessary, I can upload higher resolution images. Check out this image in greater detail here.

John Steiner

Fort Peck, Montana.

The Fort Peck Dam is on the Missouri River in northeastern Montana. The dam is the largest manmade hydraulic dam in the world. Constructed during the great depression in the 1930s, it began generating electricity in 1943. A celebration of life for a family member brought us here on the Independence Day weekend. As we drove along one of the several lakefront roads, a view of an approaching storm brought dramatic skies. In less than an hour after the photo was taken, this area was hit by 60 mph winds, heavy rain, and hail.

About the photo: Captured with my Samsung S20U, I used automatic mode for exposure at f/1.8, 1/340 sec, ISO-16. This panoramic view was created by stitching two images together with Adobe Lightroom. Further editing in Luminar 4 including the removal of a power pole and erasure of an empty boat trailer helped clean up that shoreline on the left. Clicking on the image might give you a better view, depending upon your browser. Recently I’ve featured some of my images on my Flickr site as it provides a larger image view on a dark background, and when necessary, I can upload higher resolution images. Check out this image in greater detail here.

John Steiner

Fort Peck Power Plant. The two powerhouses generate an average of 1.1 billion kilowatt-hours per year.

Fort Peck, MT

A family reunion brought us to the site of the world’s largest hydraulically-filled dam. At one time, the largest dam in the world, Fort Peck Dam is now the United States’ second largest dam, and the eighth largest dam in the world. The dam, located 19 miles southeast of Glasgow, MT, was built in the 1930s as a Works Progress Administration (WPA) project. The dam created Fort Peck Lake, the fifth largest artificial lake in the United States, covering approximately 245,000 acres of what was once Missouri River Shoreline. The dam, which has a highway running along its highest point, is almost 4 miles (6.4 km) in length.

Fort Peck Dam and Lake at dusk. The two towers at the right house two of the four mechanical gates that can be closed to shut off flow out of the reservoir.

The weekend of our stay, lodging was hard to come by. Fort Peck Lake is the site of many fishing tournaments. The hotels and campgrounds in the area were at near capacity. Unfortunately the weather was cooler and cloudier than normal for early August and rain, sometimes accompanied by thunder and lightning, left the campsites and parks soggy and cool.

View of the 245,000 acre (991 square kilometer) reservoir.

If you are in the area, something not to miss is a tour of the interpretive center. The center has dinosaur fossils and large aquariums displaying native water life. Tours of the power plant are available daily except Sunday. The power plant tour is well worth the hour it takes, and there is no fee. You can get up close and personal with the large turbines and electrical generators in the two plants. Unfortunately, though there are plenty of interesting things to photograph, no cameras, cell phones or even purses and bags are allowed on the tour. You will have to be happy with memories of a very interesting outing. Bring a photo ID, and you’ll need to store your valuables in your car, which you will need to go from the interpretive center to the power plant.

Fort Peck Spillway.

About four miles (6.4 km) east of the dam is the spillway, a mile long strip of concrete that can quickly lower the level of the reservoir should the need arise. The lake has been higher than normal in recent years requiring some use of the spillway. The result is some erosion downstream where the concrete ends. During our stay, we saw numerous trucks and trailers hauling large amounts of fill destined to be used in the reconstruction of the spillway where erosion was at its worst.

Fort Peck Hotel.

Glasgow, MT, about 19 miles northwest of the dam, is a small town, but there are several hotels where visitors to the reservoir who don’t have camping gear or an RV can stay. If you want to experience life in a historic setting, though, you will want to reserve a room at the Fort Peck Hotel. The town of Fort Peck was constructed in conjunction with the dam, providing lodging and services for the thousands of workers building the dam. The town has a year round population of about 200 people and is home to the corps of engineers responsible for upkeep of the power plants and dam.

Rooms at the Fort Peck Hotel are typically equipped with two beds, a single and a double.

The Fort Peck Hotel has been upgraded with air conditioning, but still offers a glimpse of life in the 1930s. Many rooms share bath facilities with the adjacent room, or the bath is “down the hall”. There are no TVs in the rooms, and wireless Internet is only available reliably in the hotel lobby.

Dining facilities are available, there is a well-equipped bar, and the lobby sitting area is right out of a 1930’s hunting lodge.

Lobby of the Fort Peck Hotel.

During the summer season, a local theater company takes over the town’s original movie theater. Unfortunately, motion pictures are no longer being shown. Weekend performances of live theater, however, were available while we were there; and some of our family attended a performance. Their review was positive.

Historic Fort Peck Theater.

If you enjoy fishing or boating, or simply camping in a well equipped or primitive camp site, and you are on your way between Mount Rushmore in South Dakota and Glacier Park, Montana, don’t miss the side trip and spend a few days at historic Fort Peck.

John Steiner