Oahe Downstream Recreation Area by Congress transferred ownership of the recreation area to the State of South Dakota in 2002. Oahe Downstream Recreation Area Oahe Downstream Recreation Area is a state recreation area in Stanley County, South Dakota in the United States. The recreation area is named for being immediately downstream of the Oahe Dam and Lake Oahe, a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers dam and reservoir. The recreation area is located along the Missouri River and is popular for camping, fishing and other water-based recreation. The area is located about 7 miles upstream of Pierre - the state capitol. The recreation area was
Oahe Dam earth main dam reached its full height in October 1959. It was officially dedicated by President John F. Kennedy on August 17, 1962, the year in which it began generating power. The original project cost was $340,000,000. Tours of the powerplant are given daily, Memorial Day through Labor Day. As a result of the dam's construction the Cheyenne River Indian Reservation lost bringing it down to today. Standing Rock Reservation lost leaving it with . Much of the land was taken by eminent domain claims made by the Bureau of Reclamation. Over and above the land loss, most of the