Pictured (left) is former U.S. President Hubert Humphrey, who played a surprisingly crucial role in the inception of Del Clark Lake. In his final days, Humphrey was invited to the White House by then sitting president Jimmy Carter, who had ceased the construction of dams for any watershed west of the Mississipi. Humphrey, who had paid Canby a visit during his ‘76 campaign bid for the presidency, was able to convince Carter to give his permission for the project. The dam at Del Clark took two years  and cost $2.7 million to complete and saved thousands in potential flooding damage each year.