Fort Peck in Valley County, Montana — The American West (Mountains)

Fort Peck Dam

A Symbol of Hope

Photographed by Barry Swackhamer, August 26, 2020

1. Fort Peck Dam Marker

Captions: (center) Fort Peck Dam was built within a natural valley along the Missouri River. This view shows the dam site from the west bank hill overlooking the centerline of the dam in June 1935.; (lower left) Fort Peck Dam created the fifth largest man-made reservoir, extending 134 miles upstream and covering 245,000 acres.; (lower right) Made of mud from the river and stones from quarries as far as 130 miles away, Fort Peck Dam was a massive earthworks project. View south of main dam, May 1936, with the Missouri River at right.

Inscription.
The stretch of land between the Missouri River and Fort Peck Lake is Fort Peck Dam. Built between 1933 and 1940 by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers during the Great Depression, it is an engineering marvel and a testament to the human spirit.

With unemployment averaging 18 percent, two of every five banks failing, and crops continually decimated by drought and locusts, the early 1930s appeared bleak—enter the New Deal.

Fort Peck Dam was authorized under the Public Works Administration as part of President Franklin Roosevelt's New Deal in October 1933. The single largest employer of the New Deal. Fort Peck Dam provided work for thousands of men and women during the Great Depression. Thousands more set up businesses to provide services for the workers.

Erected by U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Charity & Public Work • Waterways & Vessels. In addition, it is included in the Works Progress Administration (WPA) projects series list.

Location. 48° 0.498′ N, 106° 24.015′ W. Marker is in

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Fort Peck, Montana, in Valley County. It is at the intersection of Yager Road and State Highway 24, on the left when traveling south on Yager Road. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Fort Peck MT 59223, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Montana’s Missouri River Country.

It is also in the American Mountain West,

in the Lewis & Clark Corridor,

on the prairies,

on the Great Plains,

and specifically on the Northern Plains.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once Rupert’s Land

and also the Louisiana Purchase.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: The Slide of '38 (here, next to this marker); Built with Muscle and Muck (here, next to this marker); In Memory (here, next to this marker); Lewis & Clark in Missouri River Country (approx. half a mile away); Peculiar White Water Named the Milk River (approx. half a mile away); Summits of High Hills Were Covered with Pine (approx. half a mile away); With No Running Water the Stream was called Big Dry River

Photographed by Barry Swackhamer, August 26, 2020

2. Fort Peck Dam Marker

Fort Peck Dam in the background

(approx. half a mile away); Powerful Afterthoughts (approx. one mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Fort Peck.

Credits. This page was last revised on June 28, 2026. It was originally submitted on December 8, 2020, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California. This page has been viewed 495 times since then and 48 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on December 8, 2020, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California.