Fort Thompson sits on the shores of the Missouri River in central South Dakota. The Big Bend Dam, which created Lake Sharpe, was finished in 1963 and offers ideal water recreation for area residents and visitors.

The narrower channels take visitors along a scenic tour that explorers Lewis and Clark referred to when they followed the river through South Dakota in1804. The two explorers even noted the abundance of wildlife and sharply-cut, colorful bluffs in the area.