Today is the birthday of the late Mel Rieman (REE-man), a former Dam Tender and Park Manager for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers at Bald Hill Dam on Lake Ashtabula Reservoir. If you’ve ever been to Lake Ashtabula, which is north of Valley City in the Sheyenne River Valley, you may have visited the Mel Rieman Recreation Area, and perhaps wondered, “Who’s Mel Rieman?”

Melvin E. Rieman was born February 10th, 1936 in the “Land of Lakes,” at Rockford, Minnesota, and grew up and went to school in Winona. He served in the U.S. Marines from 1952 to 1955, and was married to Elaine Armitage in 1956, at Ft. Atkinson, Iowa.

He began his work for the Corps of Engineers on Derrick Boat 767 on the Mississippi River between St. Paul and Guttenberg, Iowa. His next assignment was in Fountain City, Wisconsin at the Corps of Engineers Boat Yard. Mel was transferred to Valley City in 1969, and looked after the dam and recreational facilities for the ten years leading up to his untimely death at age 43, in 1979. Today would have been his 70th birthday.

His nearly 25 years of dedicated work for the Corps did not go unnoticed or unappreciated. One year after his death, Corps of Engineers and community officials dedicated the main recreation area at Lake Ashtabula to his memory. The designation stands as a fitting tribute to Mel Rieman, in recognition of his faithful management and development of the area.
They could have honored a Colonel, a Chief Engineer, or a Politician. But they chose Mel, the guy who was there, on the ground, doing what needed to be done every day to protect and operate the dam and develop and manage the associated recreational facilities. His was important work, but not the kind that normally gets recognized.

Up close, Bald Hill Dam is an enormous structure. It holds back and regulates the level of a 27-mile long reservoir. The dam’s multiple functions of flood control, water supply, wildlife habitat, and recreation require careful planning and competent management.

Alongside his work for the Corps of Engineers, Mel was dedicated to his family, and his vocation allowed him to be close to home much of the time. In fact, home was just a few paces from the “office,” overlooking the dam. He passed on his love for animals and hunting to his three children, taking them hunting and helping them care for horses, puppies, rabbits and orphaned skunks and raccoons.

He shared his interests and knowledge with the community as well. He was a member of the Wildlife Federation, Baldhill Rod and Gun Club, and he served as a Boy Scout Leader and a Firearms instructor.

Who was Mel Rieman? He was an ordinary man who took on extraordinary tasks. He served his family, his employer, his community, and his country. He departed unexpectedly, and was sorely missed by all of the above, and by his beloved Black Labrador Retriever Duchess.

The Mel Rieman Recreation Area and Bald Hill Dam are about 12 miles north of I-94 at Valley City exit # 292. Public facilities include campgrounds, picnic areas, a playground, swimming area, restrooms, showers, boat ramp, and fish cleaning station.

Sources:
“Recreation area dedicated to memory of Mel Rieman” Valley City Times-Record 24 June 1980.
Melvin E. Rieman obituary. Undated clipping.
www.mvp.usace.army.mil/docs/rec/ashtabula.pdf
Rieman, Shannon. Personal interview. 6 Feb. 2006

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