Fort Peck is full of history.  We know we have posted facts in the past, but with open-water fishing’s arrival, we wanted to refresh your memory on one of our most amazing treasures in the state. Whether you fish at Fort Peck all the time or have never been there, see how much you already know about this famous reservoir:

1. Fort Peck Dam itself is four miles long. The width of the base of the dam is 4,900 feet. The top of the dam is 50 feet wide and is 250 feet above the base.
2. At the time of construction, the Fort Peck project was the largest hydraulic fill earthen dam ever built. More than 80 years after the dam was completed, Fort Peck Dam is still the largest hydraulic fill dam in the United States. Three Gorges Dam, China is the world’s largest hydroelectric facility.
3. Fort Peck Reservoir, formed behind the dam, is 134 miles long, has a maximum depth of 220 fee
4. Fort Peck Reservoir has 1,520 miles of shoreline — more miles of shoreline than the Pacific coast of California.
5. . The lake is capable of storing 19 million acre-feet of water.
6. Fort Peck is the fifth-largest artificial lake in the United States.
7. The name is derived from an old trading post that was located here. Colonel Campbell K. Peck and Commander E. H
8. The original purpose of building the dam was not only to control floods but to create jobs in a depression-saddled economy.  At its peak in 1936, it provided 10,456 jobs.
9. Fort Peck is the only lake in Montana where you can harvest king salmon ranging from 16 to 30 pounds.
10. Fort Peck Reservoir is surrounded by the million-acre-plus Charles M. Russell National Wildlife Refuge. This refuge is perhaps best known now for its mule deer and elk populations.

Information via https:fortpeckguide.com/facts, missouririvermt.com, a-z-animals.com, usgs.gov and wikipedia.org