27-511: Buffalo Bill Dam is a concrete arch-gravity dam on the Shoshone River in the U.S. state of Wyoming . Originally 325-foot (99 m), it was the tallest dam in the world when it opened in 1910; a 25-foot (7.6 m) extension was added in 1992 in one of numerous changes and improvements to the structure and its support facilities, which include two full time power generators and two seasonal operations added between 1920 and 1994, and
54-538: A 2.8-mile (4.5 km) irrigation tunnel completed in 1939. The dam is located in Shoshone Canyon, and named after the famous Wild West figure William "Buffalo Bill" Cody , who founded the nearby town of Cody and owned much of the land now covered by the reservoir formed by its construction. It is part of the Shoshone Project , successor to several visionary schemes promoted by Cody to irrigate
81-401: A byproduct. The unit operates a Francis turbine generating 4.5 MW on a seasonal base load basis, with a 110-foot (34 m) head. It was built in 1994. Arch-gravity dam An arch-gravity dam or arched dam is a dam with the characteristics of both an arch dam and a gravity dam . It is a dam that curves upstream in a narrowing curve that directs most of the water pressure against
108-471: A diversion dam, which was to divert the river into a wooden flume , through a tunnel and out through another flume to rejoin the river bed. Two men were killed in the construction of the tunnel. A June 1906 flood destroyed the flume. The delay caused the Bureau of Reclamation to suspend the contractor's contract and to call upon the contractor's bonding company, the U.S. Fidelity and Guaranty Company , to ensure
135-516: A final cost of $ 1.4 million. Seven construction workers were killed on the project. Immediately after completion the dam suffered from leakage through the outlet works, leading to low water elevations that exposed mudflats, which soon produced dense blowing dust. Corrective work to valves took until 1915. Problems with the north abutment's outlet works (on the right, facing the dam from downstream) led to their abandonment in 1959. They were sealed in 1961. The reservoir began to lose capacity immediately as
162-540: A high-gas environment. Work on the tunnel by the Utah Construction Company was complete in 1939. The Heart Mountain Powerplant was built at the tunnel's outlet in 1947 as a temporary facility. It was rebuilt concurrently with the dam heightening project and is operated on a seasonal basis. It operates a 5 MW Francis turbine on a 265-foot (81 m) head. Starting in 1985, the crest of the dam
189-473: A result of the Shoshone's heavy silt load, and the material deposited at the head of the reservoir continued to blow when the reservoir was drawn down. Work continued on silt dikes and reforestation into the 1950s, but capacity is reduced from the reservoir's nominal capacity of 869,230 acre-feet (1.07218 km) to 623,557 acre-feet (0.769146 km) due to siltation. The new reservoir covered hot springs at
216-445: A suitable elevation for distribution. Work on the 2.8-mile (4.5 km) Shoshone Canyon Tunnel started in 1937, accompanied by the death of two tunnel workers who were overcome by fumes from explosives and hydrogen sulfide from nearby geothermal activity, and were subsequently struck by construction equipment. A natural cave had to be crossed by a concrete flume of two 70 feet (21 m) spans, constructed under difficult conditions in
243-470: Is an example of the RCC arch-gravity dam. A gravity dam requires a large volume of internal fill. An arch-gravity dam can be thinner than the pure gravity dam and requires less internal fill. Arch-gravity dams are dams that resist the thrust of water by their weight using the force of gravity and the arch action . An arch-gravity dam incorporates the arch 's curved design which is effective in supporting
270-478: The American Society of Civil Engineers in 1973. The land around the reservoir is maintained as Buffalo Bill State Park . The dam is a concrete arch-gravity dam , 70 feet (21 m) wide at the base and 200 feet (61 m) wide at the crest, with an original height of 325 feet (99 m), extended 25 feet (7.6 m) between 1985 and 1992. The concrete structure measures 108 feet (33 m) deep at
297-564: The Bighorn Basin and turn it from a semi-arid sagebrush-covered plain to productive agricultural land. Known at the time of its construction as Shoshone Dam , it was renamed in 1946 to honor Cody. The original structure was designed by engineer Daniel Webster Cole and built between 1905 and 1910. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1971 and named a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark by
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#1732772257457324-460: The U.S. state of Wyoming . The thermal area covers about one square mile (2.6 km ) at the mouth of the Shoshone's canyon. Its thermal activity has declined since its description by mountain man John Colter , who parted from the Lewis and Clark Expedition prior to its conclusion, and passed through the region in the winter of 1807–1808. Colter's account of the features on what was then called
351-468: The canyon rock walls, providing the force to compress the dam. It combines the strengths of two common dam forms and is considered a compromise between the two. They are made of conventional concrete , roller-compacted concrete (RCC), or masonry . Arch-gravity dams are not reinforced except at the spillway . A typical example of the conventional concrete dam is the Hoover Dam . Changuinola Dam
378-537: The Shoshone, now drowned under the reservoir created by Buffalo Bill Dam . The notion that Colter's Hell referred to one of the geyser basins of Yellowstone first appeared in Hiram M. Chittenden 's 1895 book Yellowstone National Park. However, Chittenden went on to describe a "tar spring" on the Stinkingwater as well under the same name. Chittenden's speculation contradicts the earliest published description of
405-599: The Stinkingwater River has subsequently been confused with the much more extensive and powerful geysers in Yellowstone National Park , which Colter may not have actually visited. Other early descriptions of Colter's Hell date back to the trapper Joseph Meek in the year of 1830, as well as to Plenty Coups (Alaxchíia Ahú), a principal chief of the Crow people , who camped with his tribe at
432-400: The base, tapering to 10 feet (3.0 m) at the crest, with a volume of 82,900 cubic yards (63,400 m) of concrete. It is anchored into Pre-Cambrian granitic rock on either side. The spillway is an uncontrolled overflow weir on the south side, 298 feet (91 m) wide, dropping through a tunnel in the south abutment. The first of four full-time and seasonal power generation facilities
459-664: The completion of the work. Little work was done until March 1907. Another flood in July damaged the diversion dam again. Working conditions were harsh, leading to the first strike in Wyoming's history in November, in which workers demanded and received three dollars a day from USF&G. USF&G delegated responsibility for the work to two new contractors, Locher and Grant Smith and Company, in March 1908. Work progressed more quickly, with
486-551: The construction of one of the first high concrete dams in the United States. Work began immediately, with drilling for geologic investigation starting in July 1904 and continuing for ten months. Work proceeded concurrently on the construction of an access road up the narrow canyon from Cody. The chosen contractor, Prendergast & Clarkson of Chicago, started work in September 1905, building a camp for workers and starting on
513-512: The first concrete pours in April. Spring floods set the project back once again, causing concrete work to be suspended. Concrete work started again in March 1909, and despite more spring flooding that suspended work from July to September, work moved quickly. Another threatened strike was broken when Italian laborers were replaced with Bulgarian workers. Final concrete was poured in January 1910, with
540-576: The forks of the Shoshone, similar to those found at Colter's Hell at the mouth of the Shoshone Canyon. Work on the Shoshone Power Plant started in 1920. The power plant is located 600 feet (180 m) downstream from the dam on the north side of the canyon. Following delays for spring flooding, work on the power house and supply tunnel was complete in 1922, ready for the installation of electrical equipment. Generating units 1 and 2 came on line in 1922, with Unit 3 in 1931. Installed capacity
567-419: The surrounding cliffs serving as supporting walls. An arch-shaped bank-fill dam reduces the overall mass of the structure and the cost of construction compared to purely gravity dams. Arch dams and arch-gravity dams are most commonly used in hydraulic structures of more than 100 m in height. Colter%27s Hell Colter's Hell is an area of fumaroles and hot springs on the Shoshone River near Cody in
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#1732772257457594-467: The thermal area in 1840. Meek had seen geyser basin in Yellowstone and described Colter's Hell in similar terms, implying that there were active geysers at his visit. Today, the area consists of hot springs and steam vents. Several extinct geyser or hot spring cones stand up to 30 feet (9.1 m) high on the riverbank. Other hot springs were located near the confluence of the north and south forks of
621-450: The water in narrow, rocky locations where the gorge 's sides are of hard rock and the water is forced into a narrow channel. Therefore, the span needed for the dam is also relatively narrow, and the dam's curved design effectively holds the water back while using less construction material compared to a pure arch dam or gravity dam. These dams are more reliable than arch dams. Typically, arch-gravity dams are built in canyon-like terrain, with
648-490: Was 6.012 MW. All three units were shut down in 1980, worn out from fifty years of service. 1 and 2 were decommissioned and left in place, while 3 was replaced with a new 3 MW Francis turbine unit that started operation in 1992. The plant operates with a head of 220 feet (67 m). The proposed Heart Mountain Canal project, intended to irrigate lands to the north of the river, required a new tunnel to direct irrigation waters to
675-462: Was added in 1922. The Heart Mountain Canal Project, which brings water to irrigate lands to the north of the river, required the construction of the 2.8-mile (4.5 km) Shoshone Canyon Tunnel, completed in 1939. With the authorization of the Shoshone Project in 1904, Buffalo Bill Dam became one of the earliest projects of the new Bureau of Reclamation . The ambitious project involved
702-460: Was built concurrently with the work to increase the dam's height in 1992. The plant, located in Shoshone Canyon downstream from the original Shoshone Powerplant, operates three Francis turbines with generators rated at 6 MW each on a head of 266 feet (81 m). The Spirit Mountain Powerplant receives pressurized water through a conduit. It primarily functions to dissipate the pressure in the conduit before it enters an open canal, generating power as
729-548: Was raised 25 feet (7.6 m), increasing the reservoir's capacity by 260,000 acre-feet (0.32 km) when the project was completed in 1993. The spillways were enlarged and equipped with radial arm gates. The project also included a visitor center, located at the north end of the dam's crest. The additional height allowed 25.5 MW of additional generating capacity to be added to the project. The expanded reservoir inundated facilities at Buffalo Bill State Park, requiring their relocation and reconstruction. The Buffalo Bill Power Plant
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