Sheridan Lake – Black Hills National Forest SD

Description

The Lake of the Pines (now known as Sheridan Lake) on Spring Creek was constructed as a joint project by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) and the Works Progress Administration (WPA) from 1938 to 1940.  It was the largest earth dam built by the CCC or WPA in South Dakota.

“…some of the most significant structures built by the CCC were the dams that created recreational lakes in the Black Hills. Most of these dams were either ‘earth fill with core trench’ or ‘earth fill on bentonite base.’ Occasionally, concrete dams were constructed. Earth fill on bentonite dams created Lakes Mitchell, Major, Dalton, Roubaix, and Slate Creek. The dams that created Lakes Victoria and Glen Erin dam were concrete (the Victoria dam was damaged in the 1972 flood and was only partially repaired, leaving a shallow lake; Glen Erin dam was removed in 1978 when it was determined to be unsafe).” (National Register of Historic Places)