Cody in Park County, Wyoming — The American West (Mountains)
Shoshone River Siphon
The Shoshone Project Story
The Heart Mountain Division of the Shoshone Project receives irrigation water directly from Buffalo Bill Reservoir via the Shoshone Canyon Conduit, a three-mile-long tunnel drilled through Cedar Mountain located to the left. From the conduit, the water travels over the Shoshone River through the Shoshone River Siphon and into the 28-mile-long Heart Mountain Canal. The siphon, completed in 1938, is 1,640-feet-long and at the time of construction was the longest self-supporting pipe span in the world. From the siphon, the water travels through a short tunnel in Rattlesnake Mountain, across the river to the right, and into the Heart Mountain Canal System.
About 31,120 acres are irrigated on the Heart Mountain Division of the Project, which was settled beginning in 1946.
The Heart Mountain Power Plant, not visible from this vantage point, but shown in the photograph, has a generating capacity of 6,900 kVA and is one of four hydropower generating facilities using water from Buffalo Bill Dam.
Project History
On February 10, 1904, the Secretary of the Interior set aside $2,250,000 for the initial construction of the Shoshone Project, one of the first federal reclamation projects in the nation, and the largest federal project in Wyoming. The Project was settled in four divisions: the Garland in 1907, Frannie in 1917, the Willwood in 1927 and finally, Heart Mountain in 1946.
Today, the Project comprises 93,000 acres. Major crops are alfalfa hay, sugar beets, dry edible beans, malting barley and specialty crops.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Man-Made Features. A significant historical month for this entry is February 1886.
Location. 44° 30.831′ N, 109° 7.7′ W. Marker is in Cody, Wyoming, in Park County. Marker is on N Fork Hwy (U.S. 20) 0.2 miles west of Spirit Mountain Road, on the right when traveling west. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Cody WY 82414, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Shoshone Canyon (approx. 0.6 miles away); Colter’s Hell (approx. 0.6 miles away); Arland & Corbett (approx. 1.1 miles away); Cedar Mountain (approx. 1.1 miles away); William Garlow Cody (approx. 1.1 miles away); Stone Circles (approx. 1.1 miles away); Lee Street – Cody City (approx. 1.1 miles away); The Panoramic View (approx. 1.1 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Cody.
More about this marker. A map of the Shoshone Project in Wyoming, indicating the locations of wayside exhibits, is at the lower right of the marker.
Credits. This page was last revised on June 16, 2016. It was originally submitted on August 23, 2015, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey. This page has been viewed 619 times since then and 59 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on August 23, 2015, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey.