Oahe Dam

dam, South Dakota, United States

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Last updated

July 1, 2026

Quick Summary

The Oahe Dam, completed in 1959, is located in northern South Dakota and forms the Lake Oahe reservoir on the Missouri River. This reservoir stretches approximately 225 miles (362 kilometers) long. The dam is a significant structure in the United States, contributing to the management of the Missouri River.1

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Moreau River
…Moreau basin was inundated by Oahe Dam, a major flood-control unit of the Missouri River basin project, and is now part of Lake Oahe. The river was named for an early French trader.
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…Moreau basin was inundated by Oahe Dam, a major flood-control unit of the Missouri River basin project, and is now part of Lake Oahe. The river was named for an early French trader.
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Pierre
Oahe Dam (1948–62)—a power, irrigation, recreation, and flood-control project 5 miles (8 km) north of Pierre—has impounded the 231-mile (372-km) Lake Oahe along the Missouri River between Pierre and Bismarck, North Dakota. Fort Pierre, across the river, was the fur-trade capital of the Northwest from…
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Oahe Dam (1948–62)—a power, irrigation, recreation, and flood-control project 5 miles (8 km) north of Pierre—has impounded the 231-mile (372-km) Lake Oahe along the Missouri River between Pierre and Bismarck, North Dakota. Fort Pierre, across the river, was the fur-trade capital of the Northwest from…
Read More