Seminoe Dam
Encyclopedia
Seminoe Dam is a concrete arch dam on the North Platte River
in the U.S. state
of Wyoming
. The dam stores irrigation water and generates hydroelectricity, and is owned and operated by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation. It lies in a narrow canyon in the semiarid, windswept hinterlands of the south-central part of the state. The 295 feet (89.9 m) dam forms Seminoe Reservoir, which covers more than 20000 acres (8,093.7 ha) at full capacity.
. Originally known as the Casper-Alcova Project, it was authorized by the National Industrial Recovery Act
on June 16, 1933 in response to the Great Depression
. The project was renamed the Kendrick Project on August 9, 1937 in honor of Wyoming politician John B. Kendrick
.
In 1934, Winston Brothers Company and Associates won the construction contract of Seminoe Dam. Groundbreaking of the damsite was on February 20, 1936 with preliminary blasting and excavations. The diversion tunnel for the North Platte was completed on January 17, 1937 with one fatality, and by May of that year, a cofferdam
was completed to a sufficient height to divert the river into the new channel. Concrete pouring began on January 19, 1938 and the last bucket was emptied on December 21, 1938; water storage began in April 2, 1939 when the outlet tunnels were closed. The dam's power station was finished and the entire project was declared operational on August 3, 1939. A total of two deaths and several serious injuries resulted from the construction, and a pair of active faults that cut across the canyon near the dam site had to be excavated and filled in.
When the project was first completed, it delivered water to just 600 acres (242.8 ha), but has progressed steadily, and by 1980 supplied irrigation water to 22581 acres (9,138.2 ha) in the Casper valley.
North Platte River
The North Platte River is a major tributary of the Platte River and is approximately long counting its many curves, It travels about distance. Its course lies in the U.S...
in the U.S. state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of Wyoming
Wyoming
Wyoming is a state in the mountain region of the Western United States. The western two thirds of the state is covered mostly with the mountain ranges and rangelands in the foothills of the Eastern Rocky Mountains, while the eastern third of the state is high elevation prairie known as the High...
. The dam stores irrigation water and generates hydroelectricity, and is owned and operated by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation. It lies in a narrow canyon in the semiarid, windswept hinterlands of the south-central part of the state. The 295 feet (89.9 m) dam forms Seminoe Reservoir, which covers more than 20000 acres (8,093.7 ha) at full capacity.
History
This dam was first proposed in the 1930s as part of the Bureau of Reclamation's Kendrick Project, which would regulate the flow of the North Platte River in order to improve agriculture in the valleys surrounding Casper, WyomingCasper, Wyoming
Casper is the county seat of Natrona County, Wyoming, United States.. Casper is the second-largest city in Wyoming , according to the 2010 census, with a population of 55,316...
. Originally known as the Casper-Alcova Project, it was authorized by the National Industrial Recovery Act
National Industrial Recovery Act
The National Industrial Recovery Act , officially known as the Act of June 16, 1933 The National Industrial Recovery Act (NIRA), officially known as the Act of June 16, 1933 The National Industrial Recovery Act (NIRA), officially known as the Act of June 16, 1933 (Ch. 90, 48 Stat. 195, formerly...
on June 16, 1933 in response to the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
. The project was renamed the Kendrick Project on August 9, 1937 in honor of Wyoming politician John B. Kendrick
John B. Kendrick
John Benjamin Kendrick was an American politician who served as a United States Senator from Wyoming.Kendrick was born near Rusk, Texas, where he attended the public schools, and then moved to Wyoming in 1879 and settled on a ranch near Sheridan, where he raised cattle.He was a member of the State...
.
In 1934, Winston Brothers Company and Associates won the construction contract of Seminoe Dam. Groundbreaking of the damsite was on February 20, 1936 with preliminary blasting and excavations. The diversion tunnel for the North Platte was completed on January 17, 1937 with one fatality, and by May of that year, a cofferdam
Cofferdam
A cofferdam is a temporary enclosure built within, or in pairs across, a body of water and constructed to allow the enclosed area to be pumped out, creating a dry work environment for the major work to proceed...
was completed to a sufficient height to divert the river into the new channel. Concrete pouring began on January 19, 1938 and the last bucket was emptied on December 21, 1938; water storage began in April 2, 1939 when the outlet tunnels were closed. The dam's power station was finished and the entire project was declared operational on August 3, 1939. A total of two deaths and several serious injuries resulted from the construction, and a pair of active faults that cut across the canyon near the dam site had to be excavated and filled in.
When the project was first completed, it delivered water to just 600 acres (242.8 ha), but has progressed steadily, and by 1980 supplied irrigation water to 22581 acres (9,138.2 ha) in the Casper valley.