The Seli’š Ksanka Qlispe’ Dam, also known as SKQ Dam, (formerly known as the Kerr Dam) is a

concrete Concrete is a composite material composed of aggregate bound together with a fluid cement that cures to a solid over time. It is the second-most-used substance (after water), the most–widely used building material, and the most-manufactur ...

gravity-arch

dam A dam is a barrier that stops or restricts the flow of surface water or underground streams. Reservoirs created by dams not only suppress floods but also provide water for activities such as irrigation, human consumption, industrial use, aqua ...

located at

river mile A river mile is a measure of distance in miles along a river from its river mouth, mouth. River mile numbers begin at zero and increase further upstream. The corresponding metric unit using kilometre, kilometers is the river kilometer. They are an ...

72 of the

Flathead River The Flathead River (, , ), in the northwestern part of the U.S. state of Montana, originates in the Canadian Rockies to the north of Glacier National Park and flows southwest into Flathead Lake, then after a journey of , empties into the Cla ...

(116 river kilometer). Built in 1938, it raises the level and increases the size of

Flathead Lake Flathead Lake (, ) is a large natural lake in northwest Montana, United States. The lake is a remnant of the ancient, massive glacial dammed lake, Glacial Lake Missoula, Lake Missoula, of the era of the last interglacial. Flathead Lake is a nat ...

near

Polson, Montana Polson (Salish-Spokane-Kalispel language, Montana Salish: nčmqnétkʷ, Kutenai language, Kutenai: kwataqnuk) (, ) is a city in Lake County, Montana, United States, on the southern shore of Flathead Lake and within the Flathead Indian Reservatio ...

. The dam was designed to generate

hydroelectricity Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is Electricity generation, electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies 15% of the world's electricity, almost 4,210 TWh in 2023, which is more than all other Renewable energ ...

but also serves recreational and irrigation uses. The dam was originally named after Frank Kerr, president of the

Montana Power Company The Montana Power Company (MPC) was an electric utility company based in Butte, Montana, which provided electricity to Montana consumers and industry from 1912 to 1997. History The Montana Power Company was founded in 1912 by John D. Ryan, the ...

, which undertook the construction, with federal assistance during the

Great Depression The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...

. The construction provided numerous jobs at a critical time. The dam is located within the

Flathead Indian Reservation The Flathead Indian Reservation, located in western Montana on the Flathead River, is home to the Bitterroot Salish (tribe), Bitterroot Salish, Kootenai (tribe), Kootenai, and Pend d'Oreilles (tribe), Pend d'Oreilles tribes – also known as the ...

, and the

Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes The Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes of the Flathead Reservation ( Montana Salish: Séliš u Ql̓ispé, Kutenai: k̓upawiȼq̓nuk) are a federally recognized tribe in the U.S. state of Montana. The government includes members of sev ...

operated it jointly with successive electric companies. In 2015 the tribes and their energy company completed purchase of the dam. On September 5, 2015, during the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes' celebration of their acquisition of the dam, the Tribal Council announced renaming the complex to reflect the three confederated tribes.

Development

The dam project was initially privately undertaken by

Rocky Mountain Power PacifiCorp is an electric power company based in the Lloyd Center Tower in Portland, Oregon with operations in the western United States. PacifiCorp has two business units: Pacific Power, a regulated electric utility with service territory thro ...

to generate hydroelectric power in the area; it started construction in 1930. With revenues declining because of the Great Depression, the company halted construction in 1931. Montana State Treasurer James Brett went to a meeting in Atlanta in 1934 to ask President

Franklin D. Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), also known as FDR, was the 32nd president of the United States, serving from 1933 until his death in 1945. He is the longest-serving U.S. president, and the only one to have served ...

for $5,000,000 to complete the dam. Roosevelt approved the money for the project; this was in keeping with his support of the

Works Progress Administration The Works Progress Administration (WPA; from 1935 to 1939, then known as the Work Projects Administration from 1939 to 1943) was an American New Deal agency that employed millions of jobseekers (mostly men who were not formally educated) to car ...

and

Civilian Conservation Corps The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) was a voluntary government unemployment, work relief program that ran from 1933 to 1942 in the United States for unemployed, unmarried men ages 18–25 and eventually expanded to ages 17–28. The CCC was ...

, which provided jobs for infrastructure and public buildings across the country. Brett returned to Montana and a hero's welcome. In 1936, the

restarted the project and completed it in 1938. In March 1937 Senators

Burton K. Wheeler Burton Kendall Wheeler (February 27, 1882January 6, 1975) was an attorney and an American politician of the Democratic Party in Montana, which he represented as a United States senator from 1923 until 1947. Born in Massachusetts, Wheeler bega ...

Lynn Frazier Lynn Joseph Frazier (December 21, 1874January 11, 1947) was an American educator and politician who served as the 12th governor of North Dakota from 1917 until being 1921 North Dakota gubernatorial recall election, recalled in 1921 and later serv ...

and

Robert La Follette Robert Marion La Follette Sr. (June 14, 1855June 18, 1925), nicknamed "Fighting Bob," was an American lawyer and politician. He represented Wisconsin in both chambers of Congress and served as the 20th governor of Wisconsin from 1901 to 1906. ...

blocked a bill that would have denied tribal ownership of the dam. "Senator Wheeler was always proud of the royalties he secured for the Flatheads". In 2015, NorthWestern Energy acquired the power plant from PPL Montana, LLC (the successor to the

). On September 4, 2015, the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes (CSKT) paid $18.2 million to purchase the Kerr Hydroelectric Project from NorthWestern Energy. The tribally owned Energy Keepers, Inc (EKI) took ownership. The tribes and EKI officially celebrated acquisition of the dam on September 5, 2015 with a ceremony held at

Salish Kootenai College Salish Kootenai College (SKC) is a Private college, private Tribal colleges and universities, tribal Land-grant university, land-grant community college in Pablo, Montana. It serves the Bitterroot Salish, Ktunaxa, Kootenai, and Pend d'Oreilles ...

. They renamed the dam as Séliš Ksanka Ql’ispé Dam, reflecting the confederacy of tribes.

Operation

The dam raised the existing

by 10 feet, and enabled control of the lake's level to generate electricity and for irrigation and recreational uses. The dam's hydro

power plant A power station, also referred to as a power plant and sometimes generating station or generating plant, is an industrial facility for the electricity generation, generation of electric power. Power stations are generally connected to an electr ...

consists of three units that receive water from three different

penstock A penstock is a sluice or gate or intake structure that controls water flow, or an enclosed pipe that delivers water to hydro turbines and sewerage systems. The term is of Scots origin, and was inherited from the earlier technology of mill pond ...

s, located upstream. In the early 21st century, with an installed capacity of 208 MW, the dam provided enough power for about 147,000 homes and more than $9 million in annual revenue for the tribes. The dam and its related

hydroelectric Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is Electricity generation, electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies 15% of the world's electricity, almost 4,210 TWh in 2023, which is more than all other Renewable energ ...

project are located inside the boundaries of the

. They were operated jointly by

NorthWestern Energy NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc. is a utility company that serves South Dakota, Nebraska, and Montana that is based in Sioux Falls. , the company serves approximately 718,000 customers. The company's corporate headquarters are located in Sioux Fa ...

and the

. The tribally owned Energy Keepers, Inc (EKI) took over operations in 2015 upon the change in ownership. During a historically dry summer of 2023, diminished inflows and required minimum downstream water flows resulted in record low water levels. Variations to the Flood Risk Management Plan were approved by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in 2024 in response to the continuing dry conditions.

In popular culture

The plot of the novel ''Wind from an Enemy Sky'' by

D'Arcy McNickle William D'Arcy McNickle (January 14, 1904 – October 10, 1977) (Salish Kootenai) was a writer, Native American activist, college professor and administrator, and anthropologist. Of Irish and Cree-Métis descent, he later enrolled in the Salish ...

is centered around the construction of the Seli’š Ksanka Qlispe' Dam.

References

External links

{{Coord, 47, 40, 36, N, 114, 14, 03, W, display=title Dams in Montana Buildings and structures in Lake County, Montana NorthWestern Corporation dams Dams completed in 1938 Dams on the Flathead River Arch–gravity dams

Development

Operation

In popular culture

See also

References

External links