National Register of Historic Places

Belle Fourche Dam

Belle Fourche, Butte County, South Dakota
Listed
November 23, 1977
Type
Structure
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
77001239

About this property

The Belle Fourche Dam, also known as Orman Dam, is a dam on Owl Creek in Butte County, South Dakota, USA, approximately 8 miles (13 km) east of Belle Fourche, South Dakota, along U.S. Route 212. Its construction created the Belle Fourche Reservoir, the Belle Fourche National Wildlife Refuge, and the Rocky Point Recreation Area. The reservoir has approximately 8,000 acres (3,200 ha) of water surface, 6,700 acres (2,700 ha) of land, and 58 miles (93 km) of shoreline. It is stocked with walleye, catfish, and white bass. Average depth is 25 feet (7.6 m), but it has areas as deep as 60 feet (18 m) at full capacity. Common activities at BFR (Belle Fourche Reservoir)include boating, fishing, ice fishing, ice skating, camping, cooking out, water skiing, and fossil hunting. Construction occurred in several stages between 1903 and 1907. The dam was the first project undertaken by the United States Bureau of Reclamation (USBR). At its 1911 completion by the USBR, Belle Fourche Dam was the largest earthen dam in the world. The dam is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. In 1989, it was listed among the approximately 250 Historic Civil Engineering Landmarks. The dam is described as "a homogeneous earthfill structure containing about 1,783,000 cubic yards (1,363,000 m3) of material. It has a maximum base width of 650 feet (200 m), a structural height of 122 feet (37 m), and a hydraulic height of 97 feet (30 m). The crest of the dam at elevation 2,989.75 feet (911.28 m) has a length of 6,262 feet (1,909 m) and a width of 19 feet (5.8 m)."

Location

Belle Fourche, Butte County, South Dakota
44.73600, -103.67489

Categories

AGRICULTUREENGINEERING
National Register nomination ›
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Nearby Historic Sites

Ditchrider House
Industrial
6.9 mi
Snoma Finnish Cemetery
Listed
7.1 mi
Butte County Courthouse amd Historic Jail Building
Industrial
8.3 mi
South Dakota Dept. of Transportation Bridge No. 10-109-360
Industrial
8.3 mi
South Dakota Dept. of Transportation Bridge No. 10-270-338
Industrial
8.3 mi

Questions about this property

When was Belle Fourche Dam listed on the National Register?

Belle Fourche Dam was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on November 23, 1977.

What type of historic resource is Belle Fourche Dam?

Belle Fourche Dam is classified as a structure in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Belle Fourche Dam?

The period of significance for Belle Fourche Dam is recorded as the industrial era.

Can I research the history near Belle Fourche Dam?

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