To dam the Missouri River: A history of Big Bend Dam and the Lakota Indians
Date
1993
Authors
Schneiders, Robert Kelley
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Evans, Gail
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Abstract
This thesis seeks to address two related series of questions in relation to Big Bend Dam. First, why was Big Bend Dam built at its present location? What made that particular location in central South Dakota feasible for the construction of such a gigantic dam? What role, if any, did geology, topography, hydrology, or engineering play in the site selection process of Big Bend Dam? Moreover, what role, if any, did politics, values, beliefs, or economics play in the site selection and design of Big Bend Dam?
Since Big Bend Dam was built directly on land of the Crow Creek and Lower Brule reservations, and its reservoir inundated a large portion of Native American land, the second main question I seek to address is what role, if any, did Native Americans play in the site selection and design of Big Bend Dam? In order to address these questions in relation to Big Bend Dam, it is essential to trace the history of the Big Bend region and its inhabitants. This thesis, then, chronicles the complex history of the site selection and design of Big Bend Dam from its earliest days of conception to the late 1950s when the dam construction phase began. Special attention is focused on the interplay of multiple and often conflicting local, regional, and even national political interests ·that shaped the decision-making process.
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thesis