Near Shoshoni in Fremont County, Wyoming — The American West (Mountains)
Wind River Canyon
Photographed By Duane Hall, July 31, 2010
1. Wind River Canyon Marker
Inscription.
Wind River Canyon. . Boysen Dam, completed in 1951, marks the southern margin of the east-west trending Owl Creek Mountains and the Wind River Canyon. Drained by the north flowing Wind River, the canyon is 14 miles long, 1.3-2 miles wide and 2,400 feet deep where it crosses the axis of the mountain range, north of here. Steep canyon walls display rocks of the Precambrian and Paleozoic eras ranging in age from several billion to 235 million years. The Wind River originally flowed across flat terrain beneath which lay the buried Owl Creek Mountains. These mountains formed 50 million years ago, as an upward fold in the earth's crust, and were subsequently covered by younger sediment. About 4 million years ago a broad regional uplift of the earth's crust resulted in the incision of the Wind River's channel onto the rising crust, creating the canyon which cuts across the Owl Creek Mountains at a right angle.Rivers usually flow around or parallel to mountains rather than across them. Sediment covering the Owl Creek Mountains was removed via erosion, resulting in development of the landscape you now view. The process continues. , , Portions of the Canyon highway follow an ancient trail used by Native Americans, early fur trappers, traders, and U.S. Military expeditions. Native Americans, particularly the Shoshone, used this trail to reach the hot springs in present-day Thermopolis. William Ashley, "general" of the fur trade, floated a valuable cargo of pelts through the Canyon in 1825 on his way back to St. Louis. The Canyon was also a well known escape route for Native American warriors in the late 1800s. Wind River Canyon is sacred to contemporary Native American tribes in the region.
Boysen Dam, completed in 1951, marks the southern margin of the east-west trending Owl Creek Mountains and the Wind River Canyon. Drained by the north flowing Wind River, the canyon is 14 miles long, 1.3-2 miles wide and 2,400 feet deep where it crosses the axis of the mountain range, north of here. Steep canyon walls display rocks of the Precambrian and Paleozoic eras ranging in age from several billion to 235 million years. The Wind River originally flowed across flat terrain beneath which lay the buried Owl Creek Mountains. These mountains formed 50 million years ago, as an upward fold in the earth's crust, and were subsequently covered by younger sediment. About 4 million years ago a broad regional uplift of the earth's crust resulted in the incision of the Wind River's channel onto the rising crust, creating the canyon which cuts across the Owl Creek Mountains at a right angle.Rivers usually flow around or parallel to mountains rather than across them. Sediment covering the Owl Creek Mountains was removed via erosion, resulting in development of the landscape you now view. The process continues.
Portions of the Canyon highway follow an ancient trail used by Native Americans, early fur trappers, traders, and U.S. Military expeditions. Native Americans, particularly the Shoshone, used this trail to reach the hot springs
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in present-day Thermopolis. William Ashley, "general" of the fur trade, floated a valuable cargo of pelts through the Canyon in 1825 on his way back to St. Louis. The Canyon was also a well known escape route for Native American warriors in the late 1800s. Wind River Canyon is sacred to contemporary Native American tribes in the region.
Location. 43° 24.665′ N, 108° 10.472′ W. Marker is near Shoshoni, Wyoming, in Fremont County. Marker is on U.S. 20, 0.4 miles north of Brannon Road, on the left when traveling north. Marker is located at a pullout on the west side of US 20 overlooking Boysen Reservoir. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Shoshoni WY 82649, United States of America. Touch for directions.
(approx. 12.4 miles away); a different marker also named Wedding of the Waters (approx. 12˝ miles away).
Photographed By Bill Coughlin, August 2, 2015
3. Wind River Canyon
Photographed By Google Maps
4. Wind River Canyon Marker
Overlooking Boysen Reservoir
Photographed By Duane Hall, July 31, 2010
5. Wind River Canyon and Owl Creek Mountains
View to north
Photographed By Duane Hall, July 31, 2010
6. Wind River Canyon and Owl Creek Mountains
View to south
Credits. This page was last revised on June 16, 2016. It was originally submitted on December 6, 2013, by Duane Hall of Abilene, Texas. This page has been viewed 946 times since then and 66 times this year. Photos:1. submitted on December 6, 2013, by Duane Hall of Abilene, Texas. 2, 3. submitted on September 3, 2015, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey. 4, 5, 6. submitted on December 6, 2013, by Duane Hall of Abilene, Texas.