Saturday celebration to mark 75 years since Yough River Dam was completed
Courtesy of U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
A January 1944 view of the Youghiogheny River Dam
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Pittsburgh District will host a 75th anniversary celebration commemorating the completion of construction of Youghiogheny River Dam in Confluence on Saturday.
Youghiogheny River Lake will host a celebration ceremony at the spillway recreation area from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. The event will include a speech from Pittsburgh District Commander Nicholas Melin, dam tours, rock painting, and a tree-planting ceremony.
Booths hosted by partners such as the state Fish and Boat Commission, the state Game Commission, Ohiopyle Department of Natural Resources, Confluence Fire Department, and Friends of the Youghiogheny, will be available for the public to engage.
Lake rangers will dedicate two time capsules during the ceremony, and invite the public to write notes to place inside one of them. The district commander, elected officials and lake partners will place items inside the second capsule for their future counterparts. The district commander in 2048 will open both capsules at the dam’s centennial celebration.
Although the dam was completed in 1943, the Youghiogheny River Dam went into full operation in 1948. Since its construction, the dam has provided flood protection for the Youghiogheny River system and saved downstream communities more than $716 million in flood damages, alleviated waterway pollution, and improved navigation on the Monongahela and Ohio rivers. The lake has provided recreation opportunities such as boating, fishing, and camping for decades to the public at no cost.
The event is open to the public. Parking is available at the spillway recreation area.
For more information, contact the Youghiogheny River Lake office at 814-395-3242.