Near Gunnison in Gunnison County, Colorado — The American Mountains (Southwest)

Storage Units

Upper Colorado River Storage Project

Photographed by James Hulse

1. Storage Units Marker

Inscription. The Colorado River Storage Project on the Upper Colorado River is the most complex and extensive river water development in the world. It includes drainage in Wyoming, Utah, Colorado, Arizona, and New Mexico-about 1/12 the continental area of the United States. Storage units of the project are: Glen Canyon, Flaming Gorge, Navajo, and Curecanti Dams. These units regulate the erratic flows of the Colorado River so that commitments to the Lower Basin states can be assured and water can be provided in the Upper Basin for irrigation, municipal and industrial use, hydroelectric power, recreation and wildlife.

The Curecanti Unit is comprised of Blue Mesa, Morrow Point, and Crystal Reservoirs in the deep canyons of the Gunnison River. It was named for the Ute Indian Chief, Curicata, who roamed and hunted over the Colorado territory.

Blue Mesa Dam shown here is an earth-filled dam forming a 940,800 acre-foot lake with a shore line of 96 miles. Power generated here and at other CRSP reservoirs is controlled at the Power Operation Center in Montrose, Colorado, and is distributed through an extensive delivery system in the

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Western States.

Erected by U.S. Department of the Interior - Bureau of Reclamation.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Waterways & Vessels.

Location. 38° 27.158′ N, 107° 20.593′ W. Marker is near Gunnison, Colorado, in Gunnison County. It is on State Highway 92 ¼ mile Blue Mesa Drive (County Highway 721), on the right when traveling east. The marker is located at a roadside park with a view of the Blue Mesa Dam. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Gunnison CO 81230, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in the Colorado High Rockies. It is also in the American Mountain West.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Rocky Mountains,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 13 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Crossing the Canyon (approx. 2.2 miles away); Wayne N. Aspinall (approx. 2.2 miles away); Forming a Pinnacle (approx. 4.4 miles away); If You Only Knew (approx. 4.4 miles away); Trains and Trout (approx.

The Storage Units Marker and Blue Mesa Dam image. Click for full size.

Photographed by James Hulse, July 9, 2021

2. The Storage Units Marker and Blue Mesa Dam

7.8 miles away); Puzzle from the Past (approx. 9.7 miles away); Lost in a Blizzard (approx. 12.8 miles away); Saguache and San Juan Toll Road (approx. 12.8 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Gunnison.

Also see . . . Blue Mesa Reservoir.

Blue Mesa Reservoir is an artificial reservoir located on the upper reaches of the Gunnison River in Gunnison County, Colorado. The largest lake located entirely within the state, Blue Mesa Reservoir was created by the construction of Blue Mesa Dam, a 390-foot tall earthen fill dam constructed on the Gunnison by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation in 1966 for the generation of hydroelectric power. Managed as part of the Curecanti National Recreation Area, a unit of the National Park Service, Blue Mesa Reservoir is the largest lake trout and Kokanee salmon fishery in Colorado. Source: Wikipedia

(Submitted on November 28, 2021, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas.)

A view of the Blue Mesa Dam image. Click for full size.

Photographed by James Hulse, July 9, 2021

3. A view of the Blue Mesa Dam

The view of the Storage Units Marker and Blue Mesa Dam from the viewing area image. Click for full size.

Photographed by James Hulse, July 9, 2021

4. The view of the Storage Units Marker and Blue Mesa Dam from the viewing area

Credits. This page was last revised on November 28, 2021. It was originally submitted on November 28, 2021, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas. This page has been viewed 245 times since then and 23 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on November 28, 2021, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas.