Rural Missouri - December 2019 - 8

Nat
photo courtesy the Cedar County Republican

Above: *MZI]IEVSPH6SH,IRHVMGOWGPSWIWXLI½REPKEXIXSFIKMRXLIMQTSYRHQIRXSJ[LEX
[SYPHFIGSQI7XSGOXSR0EOISR(IG;MXLLMQMW&VMK+IR6MGLEVH+VSZIW[MXL
XLI 'SVTW SJ )RKMRIIVW Below::MWMXSVW IRNS] XLI WGIRMG SZIVPSSO HYVMRK XLI HEQ´W SJ½GMEP
HIHMGEXMSRMRRight: *EZSVEFPI[MRHWQEOI7XSGOXSR0EOIETSTYPEVWTSXJSVWEMPFSEXW

by Jim McCarty | jmccarty@ruralmissouri.coop

O

n a December day in 1969, 5-year-old Rod Hendricks pressed an oversized button and watched as the red light on a panel changed to yelORZWKHQJUHHQ7KHOLJKWVVLJQDOHGWKHFORVLQJRIWKHÀQDOWRQJDWH
on Stockton Dam - and the impoundment of the Sac River into what
would become Stockton Lake.
Fifty years later, Rod can look out the windows of the visitor's center where
KHZRUNVDQGVHHWKHPDJQLÀFHQWYLHZRIWKHVXQUHÁHFWLQJRIIVXUIDFH
acres of water. Today he is operations project manager for the U.S. Army Corps
of Engineers which manages the lake and dam. A photo of him during the ceremony hangs on his wall, and he still has the hard hat he wore that day.
Rod was one of three area children who served as proxies for dignitaries durLQJWKHFHUHPRQ\KHOGRQ'HF7KHLGHDFDPHIURP&&&DYHQGHU
president of the group that worked for many years to get the dam built. He said
the project had been built in 5-year increments, so he wanted kids whose ages
matched those milestones to have the honor.
7KHÀUVWJDWHZDVFORVHGE\6DQGUD(VWHSDJHRI*UHHQÀHOG1H[WFDPH
0DUN&RZDQDJHRI'DGHYLOOH7KHQLWZDV5RG·VWXUQ
According to an article in the Cedar County Republican, the river refused to
JLYHXSZLWKRXWDÀJKW´$QDPXVLQJLQFLGHQWKDSSHQHGDVWKHÀUVWJDWHFORVHG
Ol' Sac River thrust a log under the gate so it could not close completely and
had to be raised slightly so the log could pass, acting as if the old river resented
PD\EHKDYLQJKHUÁRZFXWRIIDIWHUFRXUVLQJGRZQWKH6DF5LYHU9DOOH\IRUVR
many, many centuries."
Ultimately, man won out over nature and water quickly began backing up
behind the dam, eventually forming a lake that today draws visitors for its
FOHDUZDWHUIDYRUDEOHZLQGIRUVDLOERDWLQJDQGH[FHOOHQWÀVKLQJHVSHFLDOO\IRU
walleye. Stockton Dam also generates critical peaking power used by electric
cooperative members during periods of high demand.

8

696%01-77396-`()')1&)6

´,ZDVUDLVHGRYHUKHUHRQWKHHDVWHQGRIWKHGDPµUHFDOOV5RGDPHPEHURI
6DF2VDJH(OHFWULF&RRS´0\SDUHQWVZRUNHGLQ6WRFNWRQVRZHGURYHE\WKH
GDPHYHU\GD\JRLQJWRVFKRRORUJRLQJWRWRZQ,WZDVDELJWKLQJ6RPHZHUH
for it and some were against it. But people would come out to see the progress."
7KH LGHD IRU D GDP DW WKH FRQÁXHQFH RI WKH 6DF DQG /LWWOH 6DF ULYHUV KDG
EHHQNLFNHGDURXQGVLQFHWKHHQGRI:RUOG:DU,,EXWGLGQ·WJDLQWUDFWLRQXQWLO
DIWHUWKHÁRRGRI2QH6WRFNWRQ'DPERRVWHU:&%ODQGPDGHDWOHDVW
WULSVWR:DVKLQJWRQ'&OREE\LQJIRUWKHSURMHFW
,Q 0DUFK  WKH Republican's Editor Chester Hoff received a telegram
from Missouri's U.S. Sens. Stuart Symington and Thomas Hennings saying
WKH\ ZHUH ZRUNLQJ ZLWK WK 'LVWULFW 86 5HS &KDUOLH %URZQ WR DSSURSULDWH
funds for the dam. Brown made the appeal to the House appropriations committee armed with a petition signed by thousands of Dade and Cedar county
residents urging a start on the multi-million dollar project. His efforts secured
WKHÀUVWVWHSLQDORQJSURFHVVEHIRUHWKHJDWHVFORVHG
%\2FWREHUDPDSRIWKHSURSRVHGGDPDQGUHVHUYRLUZDVKDQJLQJLQ
%ODQG·V&DIHLQGRZQWRZQ6WRFNWRQZKHUHLWZDV´FDXVLQJPXFKFRPPHQWDQG
speculation," according to the Republican. By 1961 the 6SULQJÀHOG News-Leader ZDV UHSRUWLQJ WKDW ´(YHU\WKLQJ·V VHW ³ H[FHSW PRQH\µ 7KH DUWLFOH UHODWHG
that survey work and drilling to test the bedrock was going on 16 hours a day.
%XWDQRWKHUZRXOGEHQHHGHGWRVWDUWDFWXDOFRQVWUXFWLRQ
,W ZDVQ·W XQWLO  WKDW D JURXQGEUHDNLQJ FHUHPRQ\ ZDV KHOG ,URQLFDO
ly, too much water from torrential rain forced organizers to move the event
LQGRRUV6HQ6\PLQJWRQZDVWKHIHDWXUHGVSHDNHUVWDWLQJ´$G\QDPLFFKDQJH
LVWDNLQJSODFHDFURVVWKHIDFHRIRXUVWDWH:LWKRYHUPLOOLRQLQ0LVVRXUL
projects now either underway or planned, we are moving, and at a rapid pace,
to meet the vital modern challenge of water resources development."
1RZ IDUPV KRPHV DQG EXVLQHVVHV GLVSODFHG E\ WKH ULVLQJ ZDWHUV KDG WR
make plans to move out of the area. One of the places affected by the lake was
+DPPRQG0LOOLQ*UHHQÀHOGZKLFKKDGWREHPRYHGWRKLJKHUJURXQG
Rural Missouri - December 2019

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Rural Missouri - December 2019
