Boysen Reservoir is a
reservoir
A reservoir (; from French ''réservoir'' ) is an enlarged lake behind a dam. Such a dam may be either artificial, built to store fresh water or it may be a natural formation.
Reservoirs can be created in a number of ways, including contr ...
formed by
Boysen Dam, an
earth-fill dam
An embankment dam is a large artificial dam. It is typically created by the placement and compaction of a complex semi- plastic mound of various compositions of soil or rock. It has a semi-pervious waterproof natural covering for its surface a ...
on the
Wind River in the central part of the
U.S. state of
Wyoming
Wyoming () is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is bordered by Montana to the north and northwest, South Dakota and Nebraska to the east, Idaho to the west, Utah to the southwest, and Colorado to t ...
. It is near the town of
Shoshoni
The Shoshone or Shoshoni ( or ) are a Native American tribe with four large cultural/linguistic divisions:
* Eastern Shoshone: Wyoming
* Northern Shoshone: southern Idaho
* Western Shoshone: Nevada, northern Utah
* Goshute: western Utah, e ...
in
Fremont County. The dam was constructed between 1947 and 1952 at the mouth of
Wind River Canyon, just upstream from a previous dam that had been built by Asmus Boysen in 1908 on land he had leased from the Shoshone and Arapaho tribes. The dam and much of the reservoir are physically located on the
Wind River Indian Reservation.
Boysen Dam Railroad Tunnel
As a result of construction of the dam a major railroad track that connected Billings, Montana with Casper, Wyoming was flooded. A new track was laid, starting near the new dam where a 1 mile tunnel carried the tracks under the dam and around the edges of the reservoir.
"Railroad Under New Lake"
''Popular Mechanics'', July 1949
Boysen State Park
Surrounding the reservoir is Boysen State Park, run by the state of Wyoming. It includes 11 campgrounds spread around the reservoir and nearby area. The reservoir is a popular sporting area with numerous species of fish including walleye, perch, crappie, channel catfish, as well as rainbow and brown trout and several other species. Boysen Marina sits near the shore on the northeast side of the reservoir and has a bait shop and cafe and offers boat and jet ski rentals.
See also
*List of largest reservoirs of Wyoming
The following is a list of the fourteen reservoirs, in the United States state of Wyoming, that contain at least when at full capacity. In addition to in-stream reservoirs, the list includes enhanced natural lakes, notably Jackson Lake. With f ...
References
External links
State Park Website
Reservoirs in Wyoming
Protected areas of Fremont County, Wyoming
State parks of Wyoming
Bodies of water of Fremont County, Wyoming
IUCN Category III
Wind River Indian Reservation
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