(The statement follows:)

To Whom It May Concern:

BETTER MCLAUGHLIN CLUB, McLaughlin, S. Dak., October 23, 1970.

My name is Carl Stockert. I am secretary to the Better McLaughlin Club in McLaughlin, South Dakota. From 1962 to 1968 I was mayor of the city of McLaughlin. It is the concensus of opinion among the businessmen of our town that a bridge across the Oahe Reservoir in the vicinity of Fort Yates, North Dakota would be a great boon to South Dakota as well as to our own Fort YatesMcLaughlin area in particular.

South Dakota is a great tourist State; Next to agriculture, tourism is our largest industry. Every year tens of thousands of tourists come to our state to visit Mount Rushmore, the Black Hills area and the many other historical sites in our state and area. The Oahe Reservoir which is near us is itself a great drawing card for tourists and sportsmen. The Fort Yates-McLaughlin area itself played an important part in the pioneer history of our northwestern states. The famous Indian chief, Sitting Bull lived and died here, and is buried not far from our town. We feel certain that a bridge, such as the one proposed would serve to draw many more thousands of tourists and sportsmen to our area every year.

In addition to the foregoing the city of McLaughlin, South Dakota is also a very important farm marketing center. We have a large widely known livestock marketing center in our town, a large grain marketing facility and a complete shopping center as well as a health clinic and hospital. We feel certain that a bridge across the Missouri in our vicinity would serve to draw more business to our town and as a side effect would also benefit all business and health facilities in McLaughlin.

We have contacted a number of our neighboring towns such as Fort Yates in North Dakota and Lemmon and McIntosh in South Dakota. All of them have assured us that they are very much in favor of the proposed bridge. Those of us who live in South Dakota would prefer a bridge located at Fort Yates or preferably even a few miles south of Fort Yates, North Dakota.

Sincerely yours,

C. A. STOCKERT, Secretary.

Senator BURDICK. I wonder, Mr. Meier, if I might say when you conclude this hearing, make sure everybody is listed, because I know the committee wants to know the breadth and the extent of the support.

Mr. MEIER. We want to make sure that you have all signed the register when you came in. If you have not, please give the secretary your name, so that it will be included.

Senator BURDICK. And you kind of watch the list for us too, if you would.

Mr. MEIER. Then, Mr. Chairman, on behalf of the Southern North Dakota Improvement Association, thank you for this time, and we want to thank you so much for the Senate subcommittee coming out

to see us.

Senator BURDICK. We are going now to hear briefly from Charging Eagle Bay.

Is John Fredericks, president of the bridge commission, here?

STATEMENT OF JOHN FREDERICKS, CHAIRMAN OF THE
SACAGAWEA BRIDGE COMMITTEE

Mr. FREDERICKS. Thank you, Senator.

Senator BURDICK. The committee will be in order.

You proceed, Mr. Fredericks.

Mr. FREDERICKS. Honorable Senator Randolph, Senator Burdick, other members of the committee, I am John Fredericks, chairman

of the Sacagawea Bridge Committee. I was born and raised on the Fort Berthold Indian Reservation. I am half Indian and half cowboy.

I have been working with this committee since the Sacagawea Bridge Committee was established back in 1966, when a group of interested citizens from the Twin Buttes and Halliday area decided to attempt to have the Lewis and Clark Trail readjusted to cross over part of the reservation with a bridge across the Little Missouri arm of the Garrison Reservoir and up across the reservation on the west to connect onto Highway 22 near Mandaree, N. Dak., rather than having the Lewis and Clark Trail established on the south side of the reservoir off the Fort Berthold Reservation and missing much scenery, while adding much to the cost of constructing such a road because of the right terrain in its proposed route.

We also felt that by doing this we would spread the burden of the cost on three existing agencies. The Bureau of Indian Affairs will be responsible for the construction of the roads within the boundaries of the reservation. The Corps of Engineers will construct the bridge; and the State highway department will take the road into the State highway road system and be responsible for its maintenance.

We had several meetings with the agencies involved and feel that we met with favorable response.

By gearing the Lewis and Clark Trail across the Fort Berthold Indian Reservation with a bridge across the lake in the vicinity of Charging Eagle Bay, we will be opening up a virgin territory, picturesque and scenic, while taking advantage of our Indian culture, making it available to our tourist friends.

We will be exposing the recreation-seeking public to a five-bay area where some of the best fishing spots in the country are located.

We will make possible an economic boom in one of our worst poverty-stricken areas of the State. Employment will be provided by the construction of the roads and the bridge itself. Continued employment will be provided by the establishment of business enterprises to serve the tourist and recreation-seeking public. It is our hope that Indians themselves will be involved in establishing business places through the economic-development thrust put forth by the Federal Government for the development of poverty-stricken areas. We realize that this is not a cure-all for our people. However, it is a step in the right direction.

The bridge would connect two of the largest segments of the Fort Berthold Indian Reservation, thereby eliminating much of the communication problem and shortening the distance by one-half for those residents living in the Twin Buttes area; and who must do most of their business in New Town where the agency is located. At present, the distance around is 120 miles one way.

Finally, then, the bridge would give back to the residents of the Fort Berthold Reservation and surrounding area the Four Bears Bridge that was taken away and never returned when the Garrison Reservoir was established.

Gentlemen, it is my sincere hope that you will understand our great need for the bridge across the Little Missouri area of the Garrison Reservoir and give our project a favorable report. Senator BURDICK. Thank you, John.

52-248-71- -14

You have some of your people here?

Mr. FREDERICKS. Yes.

Senator BURDICK. Do you want to identify some of them?

Mr. FREDERICKS. I will introduce the executive board, first. We have our vice chairman, Mr. Leo Lesmeister, present.

Senator BURDICK. Would you like to testify for a few minutes? Mr. LESMEISTER. Yes.

Mr. FREDERICKS. And we have our superintendent for Fort Berthold, Mr. Keaton. We have our tribal council representative, Mr. Bob Fox, tribal councilman.

We have our State Indian commissioner, Mr. Eckle, present. And we have our secretary-treasurer, John Stone, present, of our committee.

Senator BURDICK. I wonder, then, if we might call Mr. Lesmeister

next.

STATEMENT OF LEO LESMEISTER, PRESIDENT, HALLIDAY CIVIC CLUB, AND MEMBER OF HALLIDAY CITY COMMISSION

Mr. LESMEISTER. Chairman Randolph, members of the committee, Senator Burdick, ladies and gentlemen.

My name is Leo Lesmeister, president of the Halliday Civic Club and member of the Halliday City Commission. I am testifying on behalf of the city of Halliday and the surrounding communities.

We have introduced several resolutions, Senator Burdick, that are on record, but I do have a little condensed form here that I would like to read. We would like to go on record as supporting and urging the passage of Senate bill 231 authorizing the construction of a bridge on the Little Missouri arm of the Garrison Reservoir in the vicinity of Charging Eagle Bay in Dunn County, N. Dak.

Whereas, the construction of the Garrison Dam caused the Fort Berthold Reservation to be divided into segments and the floodwaters caused the removal of the Four Bears Bridge thereby cutting off the southern segment, known as Twin Buttes, from the rest of the reservation and their headquarters except by traveling a great distance. This has caused a great hardship upon the already poverty-stricken people who were forced to leave the fertile river bottom lands and move into the hills where it is impossible to make a living. Many of these people have no means of transportation except to rely on friends and neighbors.

Whereas, the removal of this bridge caused a great financial loss in business to our city and those in the surrounding areas.

Now therefore, it is our feeling that the construction of the proposed bridge would open a vast new area to tourism, and we are all aware that tourism is fast becoming one of the biggest businesses in America today. Likewise, the construction of this bridge would bring about a new highway, crossing one of the largest rolled earth dams in the world then following the shores of this great lake into the reservation through beautiful Badlands, the Killdeer Mountains and into the Roosevelt Park. The Garrison Lake is becoming one of the better fishing spots in America and is one of the areas in our country where

the air is clean, beautiful fresh water and wide open spaces which would add up to make a great attraction for the tourists of America. Now therefore, it is our feeling that the above-mentioned items would increase the value of the real estate, bring new dollars, new business, and jobs into an area where they are so vitally needed, and where the loss of the bridge and the flooding of the lands has caused such hardship. We are sure that the impact of this project and that what would follow would be felt over a wide area.

What we need, too, is a good transportation system in this area to replace what was lost when this bridge was removed.

Now therefore, we urge this committee to consider this bill, and report it out favorably for passage by Congress so that this project can become a reality in the near future.

On behalf of the Halliday community I thank you all for your consideration, for coming out here to be with us, and conducting these hearings, and also to Senator Burdick for all the help he has given us. Thank you.

Senator BURDICK. Thank you, Leo.

Is Mr. Vince Malnouri here?

Mr. FREDERICKS. Senator, may I interrupt there to introduce the Mercer County delegation?

Senator BURDICK. State your names.

CHAIRMAN OF THE MERCER COUNTY BOARD. I Would like to just make a short statement here.

When the dam was built

Senator BURDICK. Would you come a little closer so the reporter can get it all.

CHAIRMAN OF THE MERCER COUNTY BOARD. After the construction of the Garrison Dam, the county of Mercer, of which I am chairman of the board, the commission, we lost about 40,000 acres of land, which was mostly prime river bottom land. Some of this was on the slopes, but generally speaking I would say about 40,000 acres were flooded. This would consist of, say, divided by a thousand acres, 40 farms. Naturally, this has cut down on the economy of our county. And with this bridge coming in, it possibly would open up a new avenue which North Dakota is looking for, which is tourism. And certainly, this may replace all of the revenue that was lost by the flooding of this land, but it would help stabilize the economy of our area, and another item, I think, that shouldn't be overlooked, it would certainly be a great step for the people living on the reservation to carry on their business, so it isn't all pleasure that we are looking for.

We would like to help stabilize to carry on their business as they normally could, before the bridge was removed.

Mr. FREDERICK. Senator, also the McKenzie County delegation. Senator BURDICK. Would you stand and give your names, please? (The group from McKenzie County introduced themselves.) Senator BURDICK. I am assuming that all the standees are in favor of the bill.

[Chorus of voices, "That is right."]

Mr. FREDERICK. Paul Ewald our economic development specialist from Fort Berthold.

STATEMENT OF PAUL A. EWALD, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT SPECIALIST, THREE AFFILIATED TRIBES, INC.

Mr. EWALD. Senator Burdick, I have a statement that I will file for the record but I would like to mention that our delegation, our tribal delegation would be here, but they are in here at the National Congress of American Indians Convention, a rather important thing, but we have Bob Fox, the tribal secretary, here. He has a short statement, and a resolution that we would want to present.

(Mr. Ewald's statement follows:)

STATEMENT OF PAUL A. EWALD, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT SPECIALIST. THREE AFFILIATED TRIBES, INC.

Mr. Chairman, and members of the Senate Committee on Public Works, I am Paul A. Ewald, of New Town, North Dakota, and I am the Director of Economic Development Division of the Three Affiliated Tribes of the Fort Berthold Reservation in North Dakota.

I wish to thank you, Mr. Chairman and Members of the Public Works Committee, for the privilege of allowing me to make some comments in support of the Sakakawea Bridge which is proposed for construction over Lake Sakakawea in the Charging Eagle Bay Area:

The Construction of the Garrison Dam, which created Lake Sakakawea, resulted in the inundation of most of the well built-up bottom and access roads, and has fractionated the Reservation into five isolated segments, none of which are contiguous, one way with the other. Communications are practically non-existent, with two of our Tribal Councilmen having to travel a distance of approximately 125 miles, one way, from their home in the South Segment, to the City of New Town, which serves as the Tribal and BIA Headquarters.

The flooding of the bottom lands destroyed the long established population centers, and as a result, we found individual Indian Families relocating on isolated holdings, scattered, for the most part, in the distant reaches of the Reservation, where the last of the land allotments had been made. Social and Clan Lines were crossed and recrossed, with close relatives and former neighbors many times finding themselves living many miles from one another. These drastic stresses to the Social Structure have sparked an ever increasing exodus off the Reservation, where the experience of our People has most times been rather sad. In the last several years, Job Opportunities have made themselves available, but for the most part this was always in the New Town area, where facilities of the kind being demanded by small Industries were available. The completely out of-the-way location of the Twin Buttes Segment, has isolated these people and placed them in a position where they have no possible chance of benefiting from these new developments.

For three years it was my privilege to serve as North Dakota's Representative on the Congressional Lewis and Clark Trail Commission. In this capacity, it was my privilege to work with my friends Walt Hjelle, State Highway Commissioner; Russell Stewart, State Game and Fish Commissioner; and others in the effort to complete the Lewis and Clark Trail System, on both sides of the Missouri River, in as short a time as possible. The Sakakawea Bridge was a large factor in our deliberations.

This Bridge is an important link in the normal and proper development of the Recreational Potential of Lake Sakakawea. The Three Affiliated Tribes are currently constructing a $1,500,000.00 Recreational Complex just across the Lake from New Town, North Dakota. Of prime importance in our justification of this Project, was the location of a crossing over Lake Sakakawea, at the point planned in the Proposal which we are considering today.

When one considers that the members of the Three Affiliated Tribes, from the time of their very first contact with the white man, have always been firm friends of the white man. Their young men have laid down their lives in support of their adopted country, and the records of their bravery in the Custer Campaign, as well as every major war we have been involved in since then, are many and impressive indeed.