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Water and Dust

Water and Dust

Water and Dust: Much of the state's settlement can be examined by examining how water and dust have played a significant role in human occupation. The many rivers in South Dakota, from the small Keya Paha in the south-central part of the state to the Mighty Missouri running through its heart, have provided life-giving waters and life-taking floods. Too little water also wreaked havoc on human lives. This episode examines the great floods, dust storms, and the good times when water led to boom years and good crops.

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News and information from SDPB and NPR.
One of the first floods to be recorded at the confluence of the James River and the Missouri River occurred in 1881.

The winter of 1951-52 set the stage for a catastrophic flood for the Pierre and Fort Pierre residents.
The anniversary brings a flood of memories for survivors.
The facility first known as the Spearfish Fish Cultural Station was established in 1896 by the U.S. Fish Commission.
The plan to build a canal between Lake Traverse and Big Stone Lake.
In the summer of 2021, the state was so deep into a drought it was easy to forget a much different past.
Historically, the 100th meridian marked the shift from the wet east to the drier west. Now that's changing.

News and information from SDPB and NPR.
Learn about Farm Security Administration photographer Arthur Rothstein’s 1936 bleached skull.
Photos taken by Joseph Hutton, professor of Agronomy at SDSU.

South Dakotans who lived through the Dirty Thirties describe their experiences.
Stories of surviving the Dust Bowl.
Windmills were used in South Dakota to move water.

Windmills are designed for various purposes, including irrigation control, grain milling, and power generation.

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