The South Dakota State Historical Society’s virtual “History Talks” speaker in February will be historical consultant Michael Lawson

Rapid City, SD – Officials said that Lawson will be speaking about his book, “Dammed Indians Revisited: The Continuing History of the Pick-Sloan Plan and the Missouri River Sioux.”

This free virtual event will be held Thursday, Feb. 16, at 7 p.m. CST on Zoom. To register, go to sdhsf.org/events. “History Talks” is a monthly program of the South Dakota Historical Society Press and the South Dakota Historical Society Foundation.

The 1944 Pick-Sloan Plan created a wealth of economic opportunities for the states lying along the Missouri River. But the plan also flooded more than 200,000 acres of bottomlands that helped to sustain the Lakota, Dakota, and Nakota tribes and forced the relocation of entire communities.

“Dammed Indians Revisited” examines how the work of the United States Army Corps of Engineers and the Bureau of Reclamation affected the communities along the river, demonstrating the unequal relationship between the tribes and the federal government.