Wind River (Wyoming)
Encyclopedia
The Wind River is the name applied to the upper reaches of the Bighorn River
in Wyoming
in the United States
. The Wind River is 185 miles (297.7 km) long. The two rivers are sometimes referred to as the Wind/Bighorn.
.jpg)
It arises in several forks along the north side of the Wind River Range
in west central Wyoming. It flows southeastward, across the Shoshone Basin and the Wind River Indian Reservation
and joins the Little Wind River near Riverton
. It flows northward, through a gap in the Owl Creek Mountains
, where the name of the river becomes the Bighorn River. In the Owl Creek Mountains, it is dammed
to form Boysen Reservoir
. The Wind River officially becomes the Bighorn River at the Wedding of the Waters, on the north side of the Wind River Canyon.
Bighorn River
The Bighorn River is a tributary of the Yellowstone, approximately long, in the western United States in the states of Wyoming and Montana. The river was named in 1805 by fur trader François Larocque for the Bighorn Sheep he saw along its banks as he explored the Yellowstone River.The upper...
in 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...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The Wind River is 185 miles (297.7 km) long. The two rivers are sometimes referred to as the Wind/Bighorn.
Course
Wind River Range
The Wind River Range , is a mountain range of the Rocky Mountains in western Wyoming in the United States. The range runs roughly NW-SE for approximately 100 miles . The Continental Divide follows the crest of the range and includes Gannett Peak, which at 13,804 feet , is the highest peak...
in west central Wyoming. It flows southeastward, across the Shoshone Basin and the Wind River Indian Reservation
Wind River Indian Reservation
Wind River Indian Reservation is an Indian reservation shared by the Eastern Shoshone and Northern Arapaho tribes of Native Americans in the central western portion of the U.S. state of Wyoming...
and joins the Little Wind River near Riverton
Riverton, Wyoming
Riverton is a city in Fremont County, Wyoming, United States. It is both the largest city in the county and the largest within the historical boundaries of the Wind River Indian Reservation. The city's population was 9,310 at the 2000 census...
. It flows northward, through a gap in the Owl Creek Mountains
Owl Creek Mountains
The Owl Creek Mountains are a subrange of the Rocky Mountains in central Wyoming in the United States, running east to west to form a bridge between the Absaroka Range to the northwest and the Bridger Mountains to the east. The range forms the boundary between the Bighorn Basin to the north and the...
, where the name of the river becomes the Bighorn River. In the Owl Creek Mountains, it is dammed
Boysen Dam
The Boysen Dam is a rockfill dam on the Wind River in the U.S. state of Wyoming. The dam lies at the head of Wind River Canyon through the Owl Creek Mountains in western Wyoming and creates Boysen Reservoir. It is owned by the U.S...
to form Boysen Reservoir
Boysen Reservoir
Boysen Reservoir is a reservoir formed by Boysen Dam, an earth-fill dam on the Wind River in the central part of the U.S. state of Wyoming. It is near the town of Shoshoni in Fremont County...
. The Wind River officially becomes the Bighorn River at the Wedding of the Waters, on the north side of the Wind River Canyon.