Category: History Date: 2015-07-16
Victoria Lake
photo courtesty Palmer Hegge
Small Dams
Three types of dams were built by the CCC in the Black Hills. Numerous and widely scattered stock-watering dams retained runoff in small bodies of water usable by livestock (BHE-37). During the first year of the CCC, 26 of these dams were built (1934).
Dams that formed fish-rearing and retaining ponds were located on streams that provided a continuous supply of uncontaminated water. They were stocked with trout fry of fingerling size or smaller. Away from most natural predators, they grew to legal size in a year or so. At t at time the pond was drained, and the fish were seined and transplanted to larger lakes (BHE-37).
By the end of 1940 close to 200 fish-rearing ponds were in operation and 3,300,000 game fish transplanted (BHE-40).
By the end of 1937 seven dams had been built by forestry camps. They created Lakes Mitchell, Glen Erin, Major, Dalton, Roubaix, Slate Creek, and Victoria (BHE-37).
Dalton and Roubaix lakes are located in Lawrence County--Dalton, miles north of Nemo on road 135 and 3 miles east on 224 on section 11, T 5N, R 7E and Roubaix on U.S. 385, 6 miles north of the junction with County 208 on sections 20 and 29, T3N, R4E. Major , Mitchell, Victoria and Slate Creek lakes are located in Pennington County--Major on U.S. Highway 385 about a mile north of Hill City on section 30, T 1S, R 5E Mitchell on U.S. 385 about 2 miles northeast of Hill City on sections 28 and 29, T 1S, R 5E, Victoria at the junction of roads 159 and 163 on section 27, T 1N, R 6E, and Slate Creek about 8 miles northwest of Hill City on road 231 and east 1.5 miles on 243 on section 22, T 1N, R 4E. Glen Erin was in Custer County about 1.5 miles south on road 341 from Stockade Lake, at the west gate of Custer State Park.x
xDerschied, Lyle A. "The Civilian Conservation Corps in South Dakota, 1933-1942." Brookings, SD, South Dakota State University Foundation Press, 1986. No longer in print. Available at some libraries but may not be checked-out.
The concrete dam at Lake Victoria was damaged during the Rapid City flood on June 9th, 1972. The dam was repair a couple of times but the lake was eventually drained and never refilled. The concrete dam was ultimately removed.
photo courtesty Palmer Hegge
photo courtesty Palmer Hegge
The concrete dam at Lake Victoria was damaged during the Rapid City flood on June 9th, 1972. The dam was repair a couple of times but the lake was eventually drained and never refilled.
