We went out to visit the Dug Up Gun Museum but upon arriving there, discovered that it was up two flights of steps, did not have an elevator for Jim, and would not let me take any pictures. So while Jim waited downstairs for me, I checked them out and when I found out that out, we decided not to go see this museum. From there we started driving back toward the campground, but kept on driving and came to an "interesting scene" which turned out to be the Shoshone Canyon. We kept driving and went to see Buffalo Bill Dam, through three tunnels and down to the Dam. We were able to drive through the cones closer to the handicap parking. We still got a golf cart ride up to the museum.
Before going into the museum, there was a bridge that went over the dam itself, and I was able to get some pictures of both sides.
The increased height also provided the necessary head for the Buffalo Bill Powerplant, which was built concurrently with the dam modification. This was followed by the Spirit Mountain Powerplant in 1994. Together with Shoshone Powerplant, completed in 1922, and the Heart Mountain Powerplant, which was completed in 1948, this brought the total number of power facilities on the Shoshone Project to four.
Today, the Shoshone Project generates up to 30.5 megawatts of power at its four powerplants, and is integrated into the Pick-Sloan Missouri Basin Program, a massive program under which Reclamation and the Corps of Engineers have built facilities that develop the Missouri River Basin's water resources to provide power to a 10-state region.
The Human Story ~~ Shoshoni or Shoshone history states that nobody knows where the word Shoshone (Snake Nation) comes from. It seems to be an English translation from a different Indian language. The Shoshones call themselves Newe (pronounced nuh-wuh) which means "people." Some bands prefer the spelling "Shoshoni" and others "Shoshone."
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| Chief Washakie |
Washakie was elected chief of the Eastern Band of Shoshone Indians. At his request, the U.S. Government agreed to establish the Wyoming Wind River Reservation in 1868. Chief Washakie the the only American Indian to received a full military burial as a Captain by order of the President of the United States.
John Colter was a member of the Lewis & Clark Expedition, and when honorably discharged and began his own explorations. He is believed to be the first white man to enter the region of Yellowstone Park in 1807-08. He reported seeing bubbling mud pots and steaming pools of water referred to as Colter's Hell, which is located west of Cody near the mouth of the Shoshone Canyon.
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| Sage-Grouse |
Greater Sage-Grouse require sagebrush for survival and avoid landscapes with tall structures and disruptions. The solitude of the vast sagebrush expanse is where they live and gather around areas called "leks" where male Sage-Grouse display a dance to attract a male. It is quite a sight to see.
Their home range is so large that species with smaller home ranges also requiring sagebrush benefit from human efforts to conserve Sage-Grouse. This is why they are considered and "Umbrella Species." By conserving the iconic Sage-Grouse, we conserve many other sensitive species that inhabit the sagebrush ecosystem.
Typical colors include bay, brown, black, sorrel, chestnut, buckskin, grey, palomino and roan. The animals tend to be moderate to large-sized and habitat conditions are such that the horses are in very good condition. Wyoming is home to many wild horses. The McCullough Peaks Wild Horse Herd Management Area, east of Cody, is one of 13 special management areas where mustangs can be seen. The McCullough Peaks mustangs live in communities consisting of several different harems. A harem, or band, usually consists of a stallion and several mares with their offspring. Somewhat unique to the McCullough Peaks is that some of the harems consist of two dominant stallions.
Front and back of an image Cole's living and working quarters in 1904.
The 1905 government camp as seen from across the river (this site is in the reservoir). The building with the porch is the new office and others are dormitory, dining hall, storage and outbuildings. Note the tent that remains near the center of the image.
August 15, 1907 ~~ Twenty head of mules improved the speed of progress.
Shoshone Dam cost $929,658 to build. This 1910 image of the dam filling has the United States Capitol building superimposed for scale.
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| Map of scenic roads around Cody |
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| Allosaurus (rare), well preserved |
In 1991, worldwide attention focused on the cooperative evacuation of a complete, articulated skeleton of a sub-adult Allossurus. The dig took place near Greybull, on land administered by the Bureau of Land Management. During the Jurassic Period, some 150 million years ago, Allosaurus was the earth's largest land-based predator. Clawed forearms and feet allowed this dinosaur to capture and dismember its prey. These are casts of its skull and forearm claw.
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| William Cody leads ladies on a tour of Frost Cave |
Spirit Mountain Cave ~~ Originally, it was called Frost Cave after Ned Frost, who found it by accident in 1908 when chasing a mountain lion with his dogs. The cave was explored by Frost and friends, including William "Buffalo Bill" Cody. The name was changed to Shoshone Caverns National Monument a year later by President William Taft who declared the cave a treasure of "sparkling crystals and beautiful stalactites." That name lasted until the National Park Service withdrew monument status in 1954.
Commercial operators leased the cave from the city of Cody, and changed the name to Spirit Mountain Caverns. Stairs and electricity were run to the cave and plans were made to build a tram for visitors in order to avoid the twisty road to the entrance. But the venture proved unprofitable, and the cave lapsed into silence and vandalism in 1966.
The Bureau of Land Management took over the cave in 1978 and installed a locked gate in 1984. The cave is open to the public under a permit system.
Skeletons of many extinct species are found here. They include Pleistocene camel, North American lion, saber tooth cat, mammoth, short-faced bear, and dire wolf. Layers of plant pollen provide a valuable record of change in the region's climate and landscape.
The Bighorn Basin is a storehouse of prehistoric animal remains. Each summer, palaeontologists uncover new evidence of vanished species and environments.
SA fossilized hadrosaur from the Cretaceous Period was found in the Meeteetse Formation by Yale University scientists.
Polecat Bench Research ~~ University of Michigan researchers located fossils from the Paleocene Epoch. Coryphodon was the largest Paleocene mammal from the Bighorn Basin. The size of a modern hippopotamus, coryphodon lived along the ancient rivers that flowed through this area.
The Nalls Collection ~~ Construction of Buffalo Bill Dam started on October 19, 1905. The original contractor, Pondergast and Clarkson, went broke and their contract suspended on August 11, 1906. On October 1, 1906, the U.S. Fidelity and Guaranty Co. took over the construction. Mr. Stuart Nalls was a supervisor for U.S.F. & G. and worked on the dam from 1906 until after the dam was completed on January 15, 1910. In March, 1908, the third contractor, Grant Smith and Locher Co. took over the contract and finished the dam.
"The earth, on which we walk, from which we come, and which we love as our mother -- which we love as our country -- we ask you to see that we do what which is good for us and our children." ~~ Chief Blackfoot, Crow, August 11, 1873
"The land is transformed (by irrigation) . . . the wonderful climate is perfect for raising a multitude of crops. Irrigation supplies what Mother Nature cannot. In turn, a sense of community has grown among us that I did not expect in the wilds of the west." ~~ Virginia Heismann, settler in Powell, 1912
Birth of the Shoshone Project ~~ To be economical, farming in this arid region required irrigation. In 1900, William "Buffalo Bill" Cody, Senator Frank Mondell, and Nate Salsbury built an irrigation canal on the South Fork of the Shoshone River. Water supplies were still inadequate; federal support would be needed to undertake large-scale projects.
With support from President Theodore Roosevelt, the Reclamation Act was passed in 1902. The Act stimulated irrigation projects throughout the American West. In 1905, ground was broken for the Shoshone Project.
The Shoshone Project brought a stable economy to the Bighorn Basin. Irrigation made farming pay. In turn, retailers, suppliers, and agricultural-based industries moved in. The railroad came to transport products. Powell and other towns grew from what had been open prairie.
A World-Class Dam ~~ The Reclamation Service (forerunner of the Bureau of Reclamation) began building the Shoshone Dam in 1905. At the time of its completion in 1910, the dam, which cost close to $1 million, was the world's highest concrete arch dam. In 1946, President Harry S. Truman granted a request to give Shoshone Dam a new name: Buffalo Bill Dam
Below-zero temperatures, floods and highly dangerous conditions caused three contractors to go broke. Seven men, including a chief engineer, died in accidents. Worked stopped in September, while workers demanded $3 a day, and a 10 hour workday. In November, they called for an 8 hour day. Their conditions were met.
Features of the Shoshone Project that are often missed are in the canyon upstream from the City of Cody. Water in the Shoshone Canyon Siphon crosses the river in a steel pipe before returning to a tunnel and eventual delivery to irrigated lands. The building shown is the Heart Mountain Powerplant.
Some of the water released from Buffalo Bill Dam into the river is diverted for delivery to project lands. Willwood Diversion Dam is pictured with Heart Mountain in the background.
Back out in the parking lot, there is a small display before heading into the visitor center. These are some of the exhibits on display there.
The graphics on the wall were produced in the 1970s and reflect the project before it was modified.
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| Ball Plug |
This large wood and concrete ball plug was one of two used to halt the flow of water through the 12" diameter power outlet works conduits, located in the base of the dam. The balls facilitated the repair and maintenance of downstream machinery and equipment. In order to access the submerged conduit openings on the upstream face of the dam, trash rack structures first had to be removed by divers and raised to the surface by a cableway winch then, assisted by divers, the ball plugs were lowered by the cableway winch into position. Where water pressure forced the balls against the conduit openings, sealing off the flow of water, the construction of the ball plugs utilizing a combination of wood and concrete provided strength and also allowed easy maneuverability under water.
Two new ball plugs were obtained during the Buffalo Bill Dam modifications project (1985-1993). Since the removal of the cableway winch in 1985, the installation of the new ball plugs must be accomplished using a barge mounted crane on the reservoir.
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| Balanced Plunger Hydraulic Valve |
This 48" diameter valve is one of two which were originally installed at the base of the dam in 1922 to supply water to the Shoshone Power Plant and low level river outlet works. The two valves were operational until they were replaced by new valves during the Dam's modification project of 1985-1993. This specialized type of needle valve, known as a mechanically-operated, balanced plunger hydraulic valve. It was manufactured in 1921 by the Wellman-Seaver-Morgan Company, Cleveland, Ohio.
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