FORT PECK
Even though it has been around since the 1930s, Fort Peck has the distinction of being Montana's newest town. Built to house and service workers who built the Fort Peck Dam, the US Army Corps of Engineers owned and maintained the town until August, 1986. At that time, it was officially turned over from the Corps to private ownership. A government was established and wheels were set in motion to make the town and the surrounding areas prosper and grow. The town is the hub of activities around the lake for government, commerce, recreation and culture.
The dam itself is a statement of the high quality of American workmanship and pride. A drive across the face of the dam offers visitors a panoramic view of miles and miles of lake and prairie, in addition to its massive power plants and diversion tunnels. Year-round recreation opportunities abound in the Fort Peck area.
Fort Peck Reservoir, located 18 miles southeast of Glasgow, provides endless recreation opportunities including boating, fishing, hunting, swimming, sailing, water skiing, hiking and birdwatching. bordering the entire 123 miles long reservoir is the one million acre Charles M. Russell National Wildlife Refuge which is run by the US Fish and Wildlife Service. It is home to elk, deer, sharp-tailed grouse and many other prairie animals. Recreation facilities and Fishing Access Points around the lake are abundant.
The Dredge Cuts Swim Beaches are popular areas for swimmers, picnicers, boaters, water skiers, and jet skiers as well as being a popular fishing site. The two beaches are located three miles downstream from the dam and include designated swim areas, picnic shelters, playgrounds, and restrooms.
Kiwanis Park is located on the left bank of the Missouri River at the base of Fort Peck Dam. Shaded by tall, leafy cottonwood trees, this popular recreation area is the most extensively equipped campground in the region. With open shelterhouses with concrete floors and picnic tables, charcoal grills, fire rings, horseshoe courts, playground equipment, a sand volleyball court, basketball court, playground equipment, drinking water and restrooms, this area appeals to family campers. There is a three-miles paved trail for walking, wildlife viewing, rollerblading or bicycling. A children's fishing pond, a perch pond and Winter Harbor Bass Pond with a handicapped-accessibe fishing pier are located along the trail. the Fort Peck Amphitheater presentations of slide shows or movies are held at dark on Saturday nights betweenMemorial Day and Labor Day. Presentations range from constellation studies to natural resources of the area and are provided free of charge.
The Downstream Campground is just down the Missouri River from the Fort Peck Dam. It is accessible by road through Kiwanis Park. Amenities include paved sites with electrical hookups, hot showers, flush toilets, a sanitary dump station, 24-hour gate attendants during the summer season, and a pay phone with internet access. Ice and firewood are sold in the campground and a variety of sporting equipment is available for loan from the gatehouse. there are no water hookup sites but five hydrants located througout the campground are available to fill tanks with potable water.
One of the most picturesque locations to be found on Fort Peck Lake, The Pines area flanks the lake with clusters of Ponderosa pine. Located on the north shore of Fort Peck Lake known as " Fifth Point" approximately 20 miles southwest of the Dam.It is an excellent area to view wildlife, boat, fish and camp. The Pines Youth Camp is a summer camp for school-age children, operated and maintained by the Prarie Fellowship, Glasgow, under an agreement with the Corps of Engineers. There are facilities for 100 campers.
Fort Peck Dam is the largest hydraulic earth-filled dam in the world, rising 250 feet above the riverbed, and measuring 21,026 feet in length and 4,900 feet in breadth. More than 300,000 visitors come to see the gigantic dam each year. Public tours are availabe from Memorial Day to Labor Day.
Groundbreaking for the $20 million Fort Peck Warm Water Fish Hatchery took place in 2002.The state hatchery will produce millions of warm-water fish such as walleye, sauger, and largemouth and smallmouth bass, as well as other species, for the important recreational fishing on Fort Peck Lake and other Montana waters. It will also support recovery of native fish such ans the endangered pallid sturgeon.
The Fort Peck Theatre, owned and operated by th Fort Peck Fine Arts council, is the only professional summer stock theatre in northeastern Montana. it is on the National Register of Historic Buildings. Performances are scheduled Friday, Saturday, and Sunday nights from mid-June to the end of August. Curtain time is 8 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, and 4 p.m. on Sundays. Tickets are for sale at the door and dress is casual.
The new Fort Peck Dam Interpretive Center and Museum is located below the dam between the Power Houses and the downstream campground. This new Interpretive Center offers many unique features displaying a complete cast replica skeletal mount of Peck's Rex and so much more. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has a display area of full -size taxidermy mounts featuring animals of the region, native and game fish species found in Fort Peck Lake and the Misssouri River swirl by in the two huge aquariums in the main entrance, and the Army Corps of Engineers exhibit focuses on the construction and building of mighty Fort Peck Dam in the 1930's.
Fort Peck Paleontology, Inc. is located on the Missouri River below the Fort peck Dam and is home to Peck's Rex - the Tyrannosaurus rex that was discovered in the nearby badlands that are part of the dinosaur-rich Hell Creek Formation. Fort Peck Paleontology is a working field station that acts as a receiving lab for fossil finds in the area, it is an official fossil repository for the State of Montana.
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