still good rural people out there

As I write this, I am in Pierre, South Dakota where I have been serving as interim Managing Editor of the Pierre Capital Journal.
I consult for Wick Communications, a small media company based in Arizona which owns newspapers in several small markets across the country. They needed an interim editor for a few weeks until the full-time editor could be hired and that was me.
But then a funny thing happened.
In the middle of South Dakota in a place where summertime temperatures routinely exceed 110 degrees, a flood of Biblical proportions evolved slowly, like a time-lapse disaster. And so a few weeks became two months.
Pierre (pronounced “peer”) is the state capital on the banks of the Missouri River and graced with rolling hills, gorgeous walking paths, trails and Steamboat Park, one of the most beautiful riverfront parks I have ever seen. But the true gem of the community _ the piece around which all else rotates _ is the Missouri River which separates Pierre from Fort Pierre, the oldest continuous white settlement in South Dakota.
Six miles north of Pierre is the Oahe (pronounced Wa-hee) dam, the second largest earthen dam in the world. Dedicated by President John F. Kennedy in the early 1960s, the dam holds back 24 million acre feet of water (an acre foot is the amount of water it would take to cover one acre to a depth of one foot.) The dam releases water through the hydroelectric plant which produces electricity for a wide area.
Lake Oahe and the Missouri River below the dam boasts some of the best walleye fishing in the country and people from across the Midwest come to Pierre to enjoy boating, camping, fishing and, in the fall, the best pheasant hunting in America. Locals say it was not uncommon to see Air Force II parked at the tiny Pierre airport during pheasant hunting season, evidence of a visit by former vice president Dick Cheney.
But as I write this, no one is fishing on the Missouri River because boating has been banned. Steamboat Park is under water, its verdant carpet submerged under several feet of water. Old growth trees which shaded the community band shell where dozens of summer concerts played softly in the night will soon wither and die, their roots drowned by the raging torrent of water that buries them to mid-trunk. The Little League fields, softball fields, RV camping areas are likewise submerged; a gentle ripple flows across the diamond toward the center field scoreboard which peeks above the water.
Further south is the Hillsview Golf Course, judged by many to be the second finest course in the whole state. Now, carp swim freely around the holes and snakes slither in and out of pools which creep up to the clubhouse.
Record snowmelt and incredible rainfall this spring have flooded the Missouri River watershed with what only can be described as a 500-year flood. The watershed, which extends across several states and into Canada, has poured so much water into the river that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers cannot manage it effectively. And so, as water crept near the top of the Oahe Dam, the Corp ordered record releases into the dam’s stilling basin and into the river, 1.2 million gallons of water a second. Yes, that is correct _ enough water to fill two Olympic-sized swimming pools each second.
The river slowly, inexorably rose as the releases gradually increased, covering the manmade causeway to La Framboise Island where 7 miles of trails, camping and fishing spots and the wonderful green canopy of trees are now submerged, tearing away top soil and sending snakes, deer and other wildlife into the swirling, muddy water. Basements are flooded but for now, most homes are safe behind hastily constructed but solid earthen levees which strain against the weight and force of the mighty river. A local contractor built them in 6 days, working 24 hours a day, all day with local help.
People here filled more than 3 million sandbags for each other, hauled them, placed them and helped people move out of threatened homes. A man in a wheelchair filled bags alongside elderly women and small children in preparation for the announced water release. Neighbors helped elderly residents move appliances and precious items out of basements; restaurants donated food and drinks; people who lived in safe areas gave up weekends and evenings, helping to sandbag, move and in some cases, pray.
That is what I saw. Here is what I didn’t see.
I didn’t see Jesse Jackson inflaming residents with speeches; I didn’t see anyone standing in line for anything free or demanding that the government offer reparations; I didn’t hear anyone whine about how unfair they had been treated; I didn’t see any FEMA trailers or people demanding that the government house and feed them; other than South Dakota senators and its representative, I didn’t see anyone from Washington D.C. here, looking to make political speeches blaming the other party; I didn’t see anyone complain that the sandbags created an actionable hazard and that if someone fell over them, a lawsuit would result.
Oh, I saw something else. I saw what American used to look like.

I read you loud and clear! So glad to hear the scoop on what real Americans do to help themselves and their community. Keep up the good work all of you in South Dakota.

And that is why us South Dakotan's like this place. If we could keep all the abundant whinners out and big goverment out, it would be even better. Several of my friends (from Mitchell, SD)were filling those sandbags to help others out. I would have been there that weekend, but was scheduled to work. People were the same on Tornado Tuesday when 67 tornadoes touched down in SD in a 12 hour period. One of those hit my place, and people come out of nowhere to lend a helping hand. It is indeed a wonderful place. Hope you decided to stay.

Welcome to the State. We aren"t beggars. Most of us just want to be left alone. 63 years old and a life long resident. It would take 10 million dollars a year to get me to live east of the Mississippi river. Oh yeah did my military time in late 60s.

And now live a half mile from the big Muddy.

lotsa places like that---oklahoma takes care of it's own as well. worked in california under 13 week contract once---and once is all it took. people still wave at you when you go down the road here, hope it stays that way.

It's good to know that the ideals that this country were founded on are still around. It's just a shame that they aren't practiced by as many people now as they once were. Even worse is how the government that was developed to ALLOW the people the people the freedon to prosper has somehow gotten perverted to the degree that those 'in charge' have decided that 'taking care of everyone' is what the government is supposed to do.

By virtue of that they have fostered so much of a sense of entitlement in a large part of our population that the population, in turn, has no clue how to take care of themselves......The very thing the government was established to give them the freedom to do......

Like the old saying, "Give a man a fish and he'll eat for a day, teach a man to fish and he'll eat for a lifetime". It's time we got the politicians out of office that have never done any fishing themselves, but are more than happy to give away our hard earned fish, and get some of us good 'ole country boys in that will teach this country what fishing is all about once again..........

I agree with everything that has been stated. We mid-westerners DO take care of ourselves AND each other, BUT there is also considerable speculation that just maybe the Army Corps of Engineers (government) COULD have handled the situation differently, and if they had, the flooding would have been minimalized, or maybe even not happened at all. As it is, thousands and thousands of acres of farm ground from South Dakota to Kansas city, Missouri and beyond are now under water and will not produce a crop this year, and maybe not for several more years. Highways (I-29) are also under water, and WILL need extensive repair after the waters recede and BEFORE the highway can be opened to traffic once again, which could take several years and several billions of dollars. Many farmers have totally lost their livelihoods, as well as many other previously thriving businesses that have been forced to close because of the flooding. It is a sad state of affairs to realize that just ONE government entity can cause so much utter devastation.

A well written artical that likely will never be seen or read because the "main stream" media will not run with it. Not enough doom and gloom or whoe is me ,give me a handout for them.

The BIG cities, I don't think there is much hope for, but just about anywhere you go, the smaller communities and rural areas, when it comes down to the nitty gritty, people are willing to help others. When there is danger involved such as flood, wildfire, tornado, whatever, color, language, personal disagreements are put aside to work for the well being of everyone.
Here in N.C. when tornadoes struck a large area this spring, it was only a few hours until they were announcing that trailers had been set up for donated supplies, furniture and clothing. I have no idea how many were filled and delivered by someone who donated the use of their truck and fuel.
I find it somewhat amusing that the Army Corps of Engineers occasionally runs into something that even they can't handle. But Mother Nature does not obey mandates from man. About fifty years ago, they suggested building a lake on a river about twenty five miles from here to "control erosion" and such. Nothing was done for years, but about twenty years ago they started pushing it and despite the fact that it put some of the largest farms and dairies in the county under water, not to mention that it submerged an old trash dump and the river skirts the landfill of one of the larger towns in the area. (can you say contamination?), they darned well had their way. But as the saying goes, you can't mess with Mother Nature.

Welcome to South Dakohhta! It's a great place to live, and it's the people that make it so pleasant. Neighbors are always willing to lend a hand. When I packed up to move here, I told people I was movin' to America.

Bob

abundant whiners (or did you mean winners?)....no doubt several liberals helped fill sandbags; no doubt liberals were also affected by the floods and/or tornadoes.
Why does the term abundant seem to be a dirty word nowadays? And why do you feel it necessary to interject politics into what was a thread about the good in America?

There aren't a whole lot of liberals in Pierre South Dakota. The folks that pass for abundant out here would be considered far-right/tea party/libertarians on either of the coasts.

As for why abundant is a dirty word these days, I guess it has to do with the behavior of those who call themselves abundant these days. That's what does it for me at least.

I can appreciate the fact that you appreciate us here in the Dakotas, but the selfish part of me wishes you would stop telling our secrets or everybody will move here and ruin it for the rest of us. Those of you who think we are just fly-over country can just keep flying. Thank you very much.

Kinda funny about that. During the Grand Forks flood in 97 people from as far away as 150 miles were going there to help with the sand bagging and the clean up once the dike failed and the waters receded. Two years ago Fargo Moorhead beat a major flood! The help they recieced from people was astounding. While they were still laying sand bags someone called into the local radio station and said "I hope this will teach you, now you will know what we went through in New Orleans". The announcer told this clown "no, we are not you, we are not going to sit around and yell help! We are going to beat this because we work togethere and don't wait for the government to come in and rescue us!". SN, ND, MN,....all good places to live and work!

Rick

Main difference between South Dakota and New Orleans, Birmingham, Memphis, St.Louis etc., 99.9% of the residents are white.

Hmm. I wonder how sociable the good people of Pierre would be if they got hit by a sixteen foot storm surge, then were shot at by law enforcement as they tried to escape? Not really a fair comparison, is it?

we have that here in Ohio too. storm hit couple nights ago, messed up some of my pine trees. neighbor and a couple of his friends came over and helped take down a bad tree,and clean up the mess.asked what i owed them and they said nothing, just glad to help and glad no one was hurt.

Wasn't George McGovern, one of the most famous liberals of all, from South Dakota? I'd say there must be plenty of liberals in SD to have kept him in Congress for over twenty years.

Tom Daschle stayed in office for too long also. McGovern was before my time, but it was amusing to see Daschle come back home and pretend to be a conservative in order to get elected. Kind of like Byrd from West Virginia, at some point the election spiel became "Ok, maybe I am just a little bit abundant, but look at all the pork I can bring home". Eventually a majority of the good people of South Dakota decided that their values were no longer for sale.

There are abundant pockets. Sioux Falls and the college towns (Brookings for sure). Even those towns are much more conservative than one would typically find in the north east or the more populated areas of California (for instance). The reservations also tend to vote democratic.

If you look at the SD senate it consists of something like 30 nnalert and 5 nnalert. I realize that this is not necessarily indicative of the ratio of conservatives to liberals, but I still stand by my original statement, "there aren't a lot of liberals in Pierre, SD".

We just call/email our "friends" back east when it's 32 below, or casually mention "it's snowing again" in October (or April). That helps keep the riff-raff out.