Wilkins Peak
Encyclopedia
Green River, Wyoming
Green River is a city in and the county seat of Sweetwater County, Wyoming, United States, in the southwestern part of the state. The population was 11,808 at the 2000 census....
and Rock Springs
Rock Springs, Wyoming
Rock Springs is a city in Sweetwater County, Wyoming, United States. The population was 18,708 at the 2000 census. Rock Springs is the principal city of the Rock Springs micropolitan statistical area, which has a population of 37,975....
. It is primarily used for radio
Radio
Radio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
and television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
station transmitters, but it also serves radio needs of the FAA
Federal Aviation Administration
The Federal Aviation Administration is the national aviation authority of the United States. An agency of the United States Department of Transportation, it has authority to regulate and oversee all aspects of civil aviation in the U.S...
, EMS
Emergency medical services
Emergency medical services are a type of emergency service dedicated to providing out-of-hospital acute medical care and/or transport to definitive care, to patients with illnesses and injuries which the patient, or the medical practitioner, believes constitutes a medical emergency...
, and local businesses such as Questar Gas. In 2003, a tower on the peak was knocked down by a vehicle delivering propane to customers. The tower was owned by Wyoming Public Radio
Wyoming Public Radio
Wyoming Public Radio is a non-profit, commercial free radio network licensed to the University of Wyoming.-Programming and Operation:Wyoming Public Radio was founded in 1966, and the station's format is similar to that of many other American public radio stations. Although licensed to the...
and was serving the local area with programming from National Public Radio. There are numerous access roads to the peak and it is not gated and open year round, weather permitting. Along with the radio uses, the mountain is also a popular location for mountain biking
Mountain biking
Mountain biking is a sport which consists of riding bicycles off-road, often over rough terrain, using specially adapted mountain bikes. Mountain bikes share similarities with other bikes, but incorporate features designed to enhance durability and performance in rough terrain.Mountain biking can...
and hiking
Hiking
Hiking is an outdoor activity which consists of walking in natural environments, often in mountainous or other scenic terrain. People often hike on hiking trails. It is such a popular activity that there are numerous hiking organizations worldwide. The health benefits of different types of hiking...
. The mountain contains geology typical of its location in southwestern Wyoming.
Geology
Along with other mountains in southwestern Wyoming, Wilkins Peak is part of the Green River FormationGreen River Formation
The Green River Formation is an Eocene geologic formation that records the sedimentation in a group of intermountain lakes. The sediments are deposited in very fine layers, a dark layer during the growing season and a light-hue inorganic layer in winter. Each pair of layers is called a varve and...
, a formation of the intermontane
Intermontane
Intermontane is a physiographic adjective formed from the prefix "inter-" and the adjective "montane" Usage includes intermontane basin such as New Zealand's Mackenzie Basin and intermontane...
Lake Gosiute environment during the Eocene epoch
Eocene
The Eocene Epoch, lasting from about 56 to 34 million years ago , is a major division of the geologic timescale and the second epoch of the Paleogene Period in the Cenozoic Era. The Eocene spans the time from the end of the Palaeocene Epoch to the beginning of the Oligocene Epoch. The start of the...
. Similar to its neighboring Aspen Mountain
Aspen Mountain (Wyoming)
Aspen Mountain is a long mountain located approximately south of Rock Springs, Wyoming and south of Arrowhead Springs, in Sweetwater County. The mountain gets its name from patches of Quaking Aspen trees located on the north and southern faces of the mountain. Various older topographical maps...
, Wilkins Peak is part of the Rock Springs Uplift. The Rock Springs Uplift itself formed in the Late Cretaceous period
Late Cretaceous
The Late Cretaceous is the younger of two epochs into which the Cretaceous period is divided in the geologic timescale. Rock strata from this epoch form the Upper Cretaceous series...
by large-scale folding. Some of the largest oil shale
Oil shale
Oil shale, an organic-rich fine-grained sedimentary rock, contains significant amounts of kerogen from which liquid hydrocarbons called shale oil can be produced...
and trona
Trona
Trona ; Na3•2H2O is an evaporite mineral. It is mined as the primary source of sodium carbonate in the United States, where it has replaced the Solvay process used in most of the rest of the world for sodium carbonate production.- Etymology :The word "trona" comes to English by way of either...
beds in the region are located near the mountain. Wilkins Peak also has its own distinct segment of the Green River Formation, which is known as the Wilkins Peak Formation.
The peak itself is 7650 feet (2,332 m) in elevation and is located 8.18 miles (13 km) from Rock Springs, Wyoming
Rock Springs, Wyoming
Rock Springs is a city in Sweetwater County, Wyoming, United States. The population was 18,708 at the 2000 census. Rock Springs is the principal city of the Rock Springs micropolitan statistical area, which has a population of 37,975....
and 6.3 miles (10 km) from Green River, Wyoming
Green River, Wyoming
Green River is a city in and the county seat of Sweetwater County, Wyoming, United States, in the southwestern part of the state. The population was 11,808 at the 2000 census....
.
Radio and television uses
Wilkins Peak holds radio towersRadio masts and towers
Radio masts and towers are, typically, tall structures designed to support antennas for telecommunications and broadcasting, including television. They are among the tallest man-made structures...
for several FM
FM broadcasting
FM broadcasting is a broadcasting technology pioneered by Edwin Howard Armstrong which uses frequency modulation to provide high-fidelity sound over broadcast radio. The term "FM band" describes the "frequency band in which FM is used for broadcasting"...
radio
Radio station
Radio broadcasting is a one-way wireless transmission over radio waves intended to reach a wide audience. Stations can be linked in radio networks to broadcast a common radio format, either in broadcast syndication or simulcast or both...
and television station
Television station
A television station is a business, organisation or other such as an amateur television operator that transmits content over terrestrial television. A television transmission can be by analog television signals or, more recently, by digital television. Broadcast television systems standards are...
s. Stations include KYCS
KYCS
KYCS is a Hot AC station broadcasting from Rock Springs, Wyoming.The station signed on in 1986, as the first sister station of KUGR, which had been broadcasting for ten years at the time...
(95.1 FM) and its sister station
Sister station
In broadcasting, sister stations or sister channels are radio and/or television stations operated by the same ownership....
s KFRZ
KFRZ
KFRZ is a radio station broadcasting from Green River, Wyoming, serving southwestern Wyoming. Broadcasting a country music format, the station is part of The Radio Network, which includes sister stations KUGR, KYCS, and KZWB. KFRZ broadcasts satellite fed music from the Jones Radio Network...
(92.1 FM) and KZWB (97.9 FM). Also on the mountain is the tower for the station KTME
KTME
KTME is a radio station with a FCC issued construction permit for Reliance, Wyoming, USA. The station is currently owned by Western Inspirational Broadcasters. It currently carries religious programming from Pilgrim Radio.-Translator:...
89.5, which signed on the air in September of 2010. KTME is an affiliate of Pilgrim Radio
Pilgrim Radio
Pilgrim Radio is a network of radio stations broadcasting a Christian Radio format. In addition to streaming its programming at pilgrimradio.com, the signal is broadcast over-the-air on KNIS in Carson City, Nevada, KNVQ in Elko, Nevada, KCSP-FM in Casper, Wyoming, KDNR in Cheyenne, Wyoming, KTME...
.
Several television translators transmit their signals from two small towers located in the center of Wilkins Peak. Additionally, the religious television network TBN
Trinity Broadcasting Network
The Trinity Broadcasting Network is a major American Christian television network. TBN is based in Costa Mesa, California, with auxiliary studio facilities in Irving, Texas; Hendersonville, Tennessee; Gadsden, Alabama; Decatur, Georgia; Miami, Florida; Tulsa, Oklahoma; Orlando, Florida; and New...
has a translator known locally as K35CN, broadcasting from the mountain. Prior to 2009, K22BK, the local PBS
Public Broadcasting Service
The Public Broadcasting Service is an American non-profit public broadcasting television network with 354 member TV stations in the United States which hold collective ownership. Its headquarters is in Arlington, Virginia....
television translator, carried its signal from Wilkins Peak. K22BK was moved across the interstate to White Mountain
White Mountain (Wyoming)
thumb|right|The central portion of the mountain, from Rock Springs, WyomingWhite Mountain is a long mountain located in central Sweetwater County, Wyoming, near the cities of Rock Springs and Green River. The mountain is part of the Green River Formation, and contains communications towers that...
to the same tower as its digital counter part. In late 2009, a new television station signed on the air from the peak. It is known as K33IX-D on channel 33 (UHF) and carries programming from EICB TV, a Christian religious broadcast and production company, based in Cedar Hill, Texas
Cedar Hill, Texas
Cedar Hill is a city in Dallas and Ellis Counties in the U.S. state of Texas. It is located approximately sixteen miles southwest of downtown Dallas and is situated along the eastern shore of Joe Pool Lake and Cedar Hill State Park. The population was 32,093 at the 2000 census...
. K35CN and K22BK have been off the air since the digital television transition in the year 2009.
FM translators
Among high powered FM radio stations, Wilkins Peak is also currently host to three lower powered FM translators. K205FE carries a GospelGospel
A gospel is an account, often written, that describes the life of Jesus of Nazareth. In a more general sense the term "gospel" may refer to the good news message of the New Testament. It is primarily used in reference to the four canonical gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John...
format on 88.9 FM. K285FG
KUGR
KUGR is an AM radio station located in Green River, Wyoming operating on 1490 kHz AM. It carries a soft adult contemporary and talk format. The station is owned by Wagonwheel Communications Corporation. KUGR won the Wyoming Association of Broadcasters board "Station of the Year" award in 2006....
retransmits programming from AM
Amplitude modulation
Amplitude modulation is a technique used in electronic communication, most commonly for transmitting information via a radio carrier wave. AM works by varying the strength of the transmitted signal in relation to the information being sent...
station KUGR on 104.9 FM. Finally, K290BJ carries programming from KZWB 97.9 FM.
Other radio related uses
Wilkins Peak also has repeaterRepeater
A repeater is an electronic device that receives asignal and retransmits it at a higher level and/or higher power, or onto the other side of an obstruction, so that the signal can cover longer distances.-Description:...
towers for the Wyoming Highway Patrol
Wyoming Highway Patrol
The Wyoming Highway Patrol is the highway patrol agency for Wyoming, which has jurisdiction anywhere in the state. It was created to protect the lives, property and constitutional rights of people in Wyoming...
and local police
Police
The police is a personification of the state designated to put in practice the enforced law, protect property and reduce civil disorder in civilian matters. Their powers include the legitimized use of force...
, fire
Fire department
A fire department or fire brigade is a public or private organization that provides fire protection for a certain jurisdiction, which typically is a municipality, county, or fire protection district...
, and EMS
Emergency medical services
Emergency medical services are a type of emergency service dedicated to providing out-of-hospital acute medical care and/or transport to definitive care, to patients with illnesses and injuries which the patient, or the medical practitioner, believes constitutes a medical emergency...
services. The emergency radio repeaters on the mountain are used in conjunction with other repeaters located on nearby Aspen Mountain
Aspen Mountain (Wyoming)
Aspen Mountain is a long mountain located approximately south of Rock Springs, Wyoming and south of Arrowhead Springs, in Sweetwater County. The mountain gets its name from patches of Quaking Aspen trees located on the north and southern faces of the mountain. Various older topographical maps...
and Mansface Hill
Mansface Hill
Mansface Hill is a mountain located in Green River, Wyoming. The mountain is named for its rock outcroppings, which form the shape of a face looking up into the sky.-Access:...
.
In September 2003, a commercial truck delivering propane
Propane
Propane is a three-carbon alkane with the molecular formula , normally a gas, but compressible to a transportable liquid. A by-product of natural gas processing and petroleum refining, it is commonly used as a fuel for engines, oxy-gas torches, barbecues, portable stoves, and residential central...
to customers on the peak knocked down the then-existent KUWZ tower after the vehicle's brakes failed. The collapse of the tower knocked out power to the mountain for several hours, and while KUWZ borrowed space from neighboring towers for several months thereafter, the station ultimately relocated its transmitter to nearby Aspen Mountain
Aspen Mountain (Wyoming)
Aspen Mountain is a long mountain located approximately south of Rock Springs, Wyoming and south of Arrowhead Springs, in Sweetwater County. The mountain gets its name from patches of Quaking Aspen trees located on the north and southern faces of the mountain. Various older topographical maps...
.
Accessing the peak
Wilkins Peak is not gated, and it can be reached via an unpaved road known as Wilkins Peak Road that starts on U.S. Route 191U.S. Route 191
U.S. Route 191 is a spur of U.S. Route 91 that has two branches. The southern branch runs for 1,465 miles from Douglas, Arizona on the Mexican border to the southern part of Yellowstone National Park. The northern branch runs for 440 miles from the northern part of Yellowstone National Park to...
southwest of Rock Springs, Wyoming
Rock Springs, Wyoming
Rock Springs is a city in Sweetwater County, Wyoming, United States. The population was 18,708 at the 2000 census. Rock Springs is the principal city of the Rock Springs micropolitan statistical area, which has a population of 37,975....
. The mountain can also be accessed via another unpaved road that begins in the Scott's Bottom Nature Area
Scott's Bottom Nature Area
Scott's Bottom Nature Area or simply Scott's Bottom is a park located along the Green River in southwestern Wyoming and is maintained by the city of Green River, Wyoming....
in Green River, Wyoming
Green River, Wyoming
Green River is a city in and the county seat of Sweetwater County, Wyoming, United States, in the southwestern part of the state. The population was 11,808 at the 2000 census....
. The peak is accessible year-round, weather permitting. The Green River access road is in worse shape than the Rock Springs side, and it has several road hazards such as steep grades, poor grading, and off-road vehicle traffic. Along with serving radio needs, the peak also is a popular hiking
Hiking
Hiking is an outdoor activity which consists of walking in natural environments, often in mountainous or other scenic terrain. People often hike on hiking trails. It is such a popular activity that there are numerous hiking organizations worldwide. The health benefits of different types of hiking...
and mountain biking
Mountain biking
Mountain biking is a sport which consists of riding bicycles off-road, often over rough terrain, using specially adapted mountain bikes. Mountain bikes share similarities with other bikes, but incorporate features designed to enhance durability and performance in rough terrain.Mountain biking can...
location in the area. There are many smaller roads and trails that spring from the peak that offer varied degrees of challenge.
External links
- http://www.ubstudios.com/rtli/wilkins.html - Wilkins Peak Radio Tower Information and Pictures
- http://www.ubstudios.com/wilkins.html - Wilkins Peak Studios, an independent film studio which got its name from Wilkins Peak.