When thinking about the Sturgis Chamber of Commerce, one may think of that host of wonderful events they produce each year. Or maybe they picture their office which has welcomed millions into our little town. What they may not think of is the construction of a lake; Bear Butte Lake. Yet, in the 1930s, they were the major push behind the project, even if they had a different name.
The history of the Chamber of Commerce can be a bit confusing at times, but for this piece of history, all we need to know is that before it was the Chamber, it was the Sturgis Commercial Club. And it was this club that would take up the torch when it came to building the Lake.
Building of the Lake
While work on reestablishing the lake really began to flourish in 1927, with all the pieces starting to line up, the Great Depression would put further considerations on hold. It wouldn’t be until 1935 that the push for the lake would again gain some steam.
One of the men leading the charge was Freeman E. Steele, the President of the Commercial Club, and Secretary of the Meade County Planning Board. In the fall of 1935, he would have the County Surveyor, Glen H. Shaw, survey and make up blue prints for the proposed lake.
This would mark the first step in the course of many steps. According to the survey, 100 more acres of land would have to be secured, and funding would be sought. There was also the issue of filling the lake.
In 1920, a group of citizens from Sturgis had drilled a well on the western slope of Bear Butte, and the waters from it, at that time, had never diminished. Waters did it produce, some 1.6 million gallons of crystal clear water a day. While the water contained some lime, there was an easy solution to eliminating that.
In December of 1936, another organization would begin in helping to make inroads in reestablishing the lake. The Black Hills Rod and Gun Club would propose to help raise the funds in order to buy the land around the Bear Butte Lake bed, as well as the well, which was owned by Hugh Millian. Their goal would expand the use of the lake; to create a refuge for game and wild fowl.
At the time though, the land was already under a 90-day option to the Sturgis Commercial Club, which had been busy securing federal funding for the project. They had already been assured $18,000 would be allocated. It was a good start, but the cost of the necessary dam alone would be $23,000, and purchasing the well with the surrounding land would be another $7,000.
A New Year
A New Year would come with good news. Steele had been busy in Pierre, SD, securing additional funding for the lake. In January of 1937, he would happily report that the State Fish and Game Commission had granted $3,000 for the project.
While Steele, as president of the Commercial Club, had led the delegation in Pierre, the influence and help that the Rod and Gun Club had given could not be forgotten. This partnership would also signal cooperation between two counties, with the Commercial Club representing Meade, and the Rod and Gun Club representing Lawrence.
By the next month, another big win would be secured, with the project officially becoming a joint undertaking by the WPA and the Commercial Club. At the end of February, the project was virtually assured, with only one option having been unsigned.
Over the next month, that everything had been “practically sewed up” was assured. But funds would still be needed. While over $20,000 already had been secured, there was still another $2,000 that was needed.
As March was nearing an end, more big news would drop. With the lake virtually assured, the National Park Service had agreed to consider establishing a national monument at Bear Butte. The next day, Steele would announce all easements had been secured for the lake, and the project could move ahead.
Before any other step could be taken though, the well owned by Millian would have to be purchased. But time was ticking away quickly. They were still short $2,000 to purchase the land, and they needed to turn the deed to the land over to the Biological Survey by April 1st.
Once the title to the property was received by the Survey, work would have to begin immediately. Federal funds by the Survey had been secured, totaling $19,000, but those funds would have to be used by July 1st.
Steele would announce that 100 men would be employed for those three months, but work would start off slow.
Work Begins
By mid-April, work on the lake would begin. Initially only 30 men would be hired, but it wouldn’t take long to recruit more. Just about 10 days after work begin, the workforce would more than double, totaling 70. And there was a lot of work to undertake. The dam that was to be built would be 2,250 feet in length, 25 feet tall, and have a 16 foot roadway on top.
Yet, new obstacles would continued to come. First, the machinery needed couldn’t be secured, making work exceptionally slow. It wouldn’t be until June that it would finally arrive. And then it began to rain, forcing those working to build a drainage ditch to remove the water that had been collecting, so that work on the dam could progress.
Once work finally really began churning along, funding would dry up, and by mid-July, work was halted. Work would be held off until the fall, when the WPA stepped in with 25 men. Instead of heavy machinery though, they would resort to hand work.
But progress continued. With the WPA men continuing on, around a third of the dam would be completed by September. The ditch from the well, which would feed the lake, was completed, and hopes were rising.
Those hopes would soar in October, when Grant Solberg, a federal engineer out of Bismarck, ND, arrived in town. He would make assurances that every effort to have the dirt removed for the dam would be completed before winter hit.
At the same time, a new push was also being made to raise funds, and this time, a host of organizations would jump in with the planning of a three-day carnival to be had in November. Variety acts, stunts, contests, and more were being rounded up.
The event would be a great success, and the funds received would pay off debut incurred to purchase the well. Meanwhile, three shifts would continue the work on the dam, working both day and night.
All the hard work would soon pay off. Construction of the dam would quickly progress through the new year. Finally, in February of 1938, water would begin to pour into the new lake bed by 5,000 gallons per minute. Once finally filled, the lake would cover 268 acres.
However, even with the lake filled, work wouldn’t be completed. Creating a lake was one thing. Making it into a wonderful recreation area was another thing.
We will explore that portion in the next installment of this saga.
Thanks for sharing this history of Bear Butte Lake.