Vermillion in Clay County, South Dakota — The American Midwest (Upper Plains)

Frost Wilderness Game Production Area

North Alabama Bend Wildlife Area

Photographed by Barry Swackhamer, July 18, 2025

1. Frost Wilderness Game Production Area Marker

Image: (left, top) Goat Island; (left, bottom) Gunerson Backwater; (center, top) 1900 Map of Vermillion; (center, middle) Map of 1881 Flood; (center, bottom) Vermillion Bridge; (right, top) The North Alabama; (right, bottom) North Alabama wreckage.

Inscription.
The Missouri River South of Vermillion, SD is a wild scenic segment of the Missouri River. In this area, the Missouri River has been designated a National Recreational River and is representative of the pre-dam river. The reaches of river that comprise the area south of Vermillion are some of the last remaining natural stretches of North America's longest river.

Gunderson Backwater Backwaters of major river systems are vital to the river's ecosystem. Backwaters are a conduit for the river to its floodplain, and due to channelization and dams, rivers can become disconnected from their floodplains. The Gunderson Backwater was once a former channel of the Missouri River. Due to man-made changes along the river, the former river channel dries up. In 2008 the Gunderson Backwater was restored. Through the restoration of the backwater, this area of the Missouri River's ecosystem now thrives with animal and plant life.

Flood of 1881 In the spring of 1881, ice dams formed and breached in this area, sending waves of ice and debris flowing down the Missouri Fiver. Scouring ice swept the valley floor and completely

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changed the landscape and course of the Missouri River.
The Missouri River near Vermillion took a much different course before the 1881 flood. The present-day Vermillion River flows through the abandoned channel of the former Missouri River (seen in the red dashes line below). This catastrophic flood significantly changed the fluvial landscape of the Missouri River.

The Bridge Between Two States The Newcastle-Vermillion Bridge was completed in 2001. The bridge provides an essential connection between Nebraska and South Dakota communities. Just downriver from the bridge is river-access point and overlook at Mulberry Bend.

Sunken Steamboats Historically, the Missouri River has proven to be extremely difficult for water vessel navigators. The abundance of snags and other hazards along the channel of the Missouri River have laid claim to at least a dozen steamboats within the stretch of the river between Yankton, SD and Sioux City, IA.
On October 27, 1870, the North Alabama steamboat hit a snag and sank near present-day Goat Island, just upstream from the Frost Wilderness GPA. Valued at $12,000, the North Alabama was property

1900 Map of Vermillion, SD image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Barry Swackhamer, July 18, 2025

2. 1900 Map of Vermillion, SD

of the Northwest Transportation Company and was traveling the Missouri River to deliver supplies to Crow Creek, SD when it hit a snag which sunk the vessel in less that 30 minutes.
In the years of low flow along the Missouri River, the remnants of the North Alabama are exposed. University of South Dakota researchers analyzed journals, historical river maps, and took measurements of the wreckage to confirm that the exposed wreckage was in fact the North Alabama steamboat.

Erected by South Dakota Game, Fish & Parks; Friends of the Missouri National Recreational River South Dakota Game, Fish & Parks; Friends of the Missouri National Recreational River South Dakota Game, Fish & Parks; Friends of the Missouri National Recreational River.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Bridges & Viaducts • Disasters • Natural Features • Waterways & Vessels. A significant historical date for this entry is October 27, 1870.

Location. 42° 45.009′ N, 96° 56.975′ W. Marker is in Vermillion, South Dakota, in Clay County. It can be reached from State Highway 19 near South Dakota

1881 Flood diagram image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Barry Swackhamer, July 18, 2025

3. 1881 Flood diagram

Street 320th Street, on the left when traveling north. The marker is in a trailhead parking area. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 31999 South Dakota Highway 19, Vermillion SD 57069, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in East River.

It is also in the American Lewis & Clark Corridor,

on the prairies,

and 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 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Confluence of the Vermillion and Missouri Rivers (approx. 1.8 miles away); Vermillion (approx. 1.8 miles away); Lewis and Clark / Vermillion (approx. 1.8 miles away); Welcome to Cotton Park (approx. 1.9 miles away); Grand Lodge Constitution Site (approx. 2 miles away); Site of the First Permanent School House in Dakota Territory (approx. 2 miles away); Old Vermillion (approx. 2 miles away); a different marker also named Old Vermillion (approx.

Photographed by Barry Swackhamer, July 18, 2025

4. Frost Wilderness Game Production Area Marker

2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Vermillion.

Also see . . . A Note From Cottonwood Corners - Gregory County Historical Society. "On October 27th, 1870, the North Alabama was snagged and sunk at Vermillion near the mouth of the Vermillion River and Goat Island. A large cottonwood log pierced the hull of the boat and created a gash two-feet wide and eight-feet long." (Submitted on November 8, 2026, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California.)

Steamboat <i>North Alabama</i> image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Sioux City Public Museum

5. Steamboat North Alabama

Wreck of the Steamboat <i>North Alabama</i> image. Click for full size.

Photographed by National Park Service, circa 2004

6. Wreck of the Steamboat North Alabama

Credits. This page was last revised on November 8, 2026. It was originally submitted on November 8, 2026, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California. This page has been viewed 5 times since then. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. submitted on November 8, 2026, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California.