US Army Corps of Engineers
Omaha District Website

Announcements

Corps closes visitor centers, suspends tours

Due to health and safety precautions regarding COVID-19 (coronavirus), all U.S. Army Corps of Engineers - Omaha District Visitor Centers will be closed and all public group tours and events and have been cancelled until further notice. This is strictly a preventative measure. The health and safety of the public, employees, contractors and volunteers is our top concern. The Omaha District is monitoring the situation and will continue to take the appropriate actions to follow CDC and other federal, state and local public health officials’ orders and recommendations for public health and safety. 

Day use areas, parks and boat ramps that are currently open will remain open at this time. We urge the public to practice social distancing in these areas.

Campgrounds remain closed for the winter season across the district and the scheduled opening of campgrounds for the summer recreation season is currently being reviewed. To check campground and reservation status please visit: http://www.recreation.gov.

The Omaha District will provide timely updates if any additional public facility closures are needed, and will continue to update the District website with the latest information.

America the Beautiful Passes will still be available online, at: https://www.nps.gov/planyourvisit/passes.htm

The Omaha District urges the public to follow CDC and State and local public health agency guidelines and recommendations regarding health and safety, more information can be found at: http://www.coronavirus.gov.

 

Announcements

Stop Aquatic Hitchhikers! Prevent invasive species Water Safety Reserve a campsite at USACE campgrounds at Recreation.gov Purchase Navigation and Boating Maps from the Jefferson National Parks Association

The Fort Randall Dam power house went into operation on March 15, 1954. President Dwight D. Eisenhower spoke over the radio from the White House to 600 people gathered in the Fort Randall power house tapping a Western Union key to signal to Governor Sigurd Anderson to start the generators. Anderson spun the giant turbine, and the dam’s first generator began producing electricity. By the early 1970s, the dam was producing over 2 billion kilowatt-hours of electric power annually.
Lake Francis Case and Fort Randall Dam are located within the rolling plain of the Missouri Plateau in southern central South Dakota, and bordered by rugged bluffs, broken by a complex of eroded canyons and ravines and has become one of the most popular recreation spots in the Great Plains.

Location: Near Pickstown, S.D., River Mile 880.0

Lake Francis Case and Fort Randall Dam are located within the rolling plain of the Missouri Plateau, and bordered by rugged bluffs, broken by a complex of eroded canyons and ravines and has become one of the most popular recreation spots in the Great Plains.

Fort Randall Dam lies within view of the military post from which it takes its name. The name of the original fort honored Colonel Daniel W. Randall, one-time deputy paymaster of the Army. The reservoir behind Fort Randall Dam is named after the former South Dakota Representative and Senator, Francis Higbee Case.

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The earliest inhabitants to migrate to the Fort Randall area were probably Archaic Period hunters who arrived in the region about 6,000 B.C.

About 1,500 years later, other groups of Native Americans, moving out of the central plains of Nebraska and western Iowa, settled in permanent villages along the Missouri River. These early farmers were probably ancestors of the historic Mandan and Arikara tribes. Sometime after 1750 A.D., the Mandan and Arikara were pushed upriver into North Dakota by Dakota and Lakota Sioux groups moving into the area from the east.

Using buffalo and horses as their mainstays for survival, the Sioux adapted well to northern plains living. Exploration, fur trading and establishment of military outposts were soon followed by homesteading pioneers.

From the explorations of Lewis and Clark in the early 1800s until the railroads steamed across the plains in the 1880s, trading posts, explorer camps, Indian agencies, military posts and steamboat landings dotted the basin.

The Fort Randall Military Post, built in 1856 on the south side of the river just below the present site of the dam, was established to keep peace on the frontier and served as a major navigation link on the Missouri River.

The Fort Randall Military Post, located on the south side of the river just below the present site of the dam, was named for Colonel Daniel Randall, a career Army officer who also served as Deputy Paymaster General of the Army. The site was selected in 1856 by General William S. Harney, Commander of the Sioux Expedition.

In 1875, soldiers of the Fort conceived the idea of building a combination church and Odd Fellows meeting hall in an effort to stem rampant alcoholism and provide some social, spiritual and intellectual stimulation at the isolated post.

The Fort Randall Post Cemetery is located on the south side of the river just below the present site of the dam. When the fort was officially abandoned in 1892, the 158-grave cemetery was left to the elements.

Lake Francis Case attracts more than 1 million visitors each year to its shores. Recreation opportunities around the lake include camping, fishing, hunting, boating, sailing, swimming, skiing, bird-watching and photography.

Campgrounds managed by the State of South Dakota are located above and below Fort Randall Dam. Amenities include electricity, potable water, modern bathrooms, playground equipment, trailer dump stations and boat ramps. A select few campgrounds also have camping cabins available.

Great year-round fishing opportunities attract thousands of anglers to the lake.

Fishing is a very popular activity on Lake Francis Case. Walleye is the primary sport fish although bass, crappie, pike and catfish are also fished on the lake.

From Yankton: North on Hwy 81, west on Hwy 46

12 miles west of Wagner, S.D., on Highway 46 or 25 miles northeast of Spencer, Neb. on U.S. Highway 281.

The Fort Randall Visitor Center is located on the western edge of Pickstown, S.D. along U.S. Highway 281 and 18. The visitor center provides a spectacular view of Lake Francis Case, Fort Randall Dam and the Missouri River.

Exhibits in the center include information and displays about the authorized project purposes, construction of the dam, local cultural history, paleontological history, early exploration and natural history of the area. The center also houses a freshwater aquarium that displays fish species of the Missouri River.

Stop by the Lewis and Clark wayside exhibits adjacent to the parking area and at Target Hill Overlook (located above the Fort Randall Cemetery on the west end of the dam along U.S. Highway 281 and 18) to learn about the travels of the Lewis and Clark Expedition through this area.

Visitor Center Hours:

Memorial Day to Labor Day:

Weekdays: 8:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

Weekends: 8:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

Off-season Hours: (Closed following Labor Day until Memorial Day)

Due to increased security, powerhouse tours begin at the Fort Randall Visitor Center. Visitors should arrive 15 minutes prior to the tour and visitors over 18 years old must show a government issued photo ID. Tours last up to one hour.

Tours are available from Memorial Day to Labor Day:

Weekdays: Three times daily at 10:00 a.m.; 1:00 p.m.; and 3:00 p.m.

Weekends & Holidays: Three times daily at 10:00 a.m.; 1:00 p.m.; and 3:00 p.m.

Off-season or groups of 10 or more: Call (605) 487-7845. Tours are by special appointment only

Fort Randall News Releases

Results:
Category: Jamestown
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  • Vegetation control to begin on Missouri River sandbars between Pickstown, S.D. and Ponca, Neb.

    During September, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will spray sandbars in the Missouri River between Pickstown, S.D. and Ponca, Neb. with aquatic-approved herbicides to keep the sandbars clear of vegetation. This work is being done so that the sandbars may be used by the endangered interior least tern and threatened piping plover for nesting.
  • Draft master plan update for Fort Randall Dam/Lake Francis Case available for public review

    The draft master plan update for Fort Randall Dam/Lake Francis Case is currently available for public review. The master plan provides guidance for the management and development of natural and manmade resources at the Fort Randall Dam/Lake Francis Case project including public use, environmentally sensitive areas and cultural resources within the project’s boundaries.
  • Jamestown Reservoir flood storage nearly evacuated

    Jamestown Reservoir flood storage is nearly evacuated with the pool elevation approaching the summer target of 1431 feet. Releases are being adjusted out of Jamestown and Pipestem Reservoirs accordingly.
  • Boaters and swimmers reminded to wear life jackets

    Before you head out for a day on or near the water, you're encourage to make sure you have life jackets for everyone and that they please wear them. On average, 9 out of 10 people who drowned at a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers lake or river project didn’t wear a life jacket. Life jackets save lives by keeping you afloat and providing time for rescue.
  • Jamestown Reservoir Releases to Increase

    Jamestown Reservoir releases will be increased to 500 cfs on Wednesday, May 21. Pipestem Reservoir releases will remain unchanged at 5 cfs. The combined release will be 505 cfs. Stages are expected to increase by about 4 inches at the James River at Jamestown gage.