Boysen Reservoir
The Boysen Dam today. Timothy Rockhold, photographer
BOYSEN STATE PARK AND ITS DAM BEGINNINGS In 1952, a new earthen dam was finished near the Wind River Canyon to hold back the Wind River. As water flooded the homesteads, prairie and sage, a large lake was created that eventually boasted 77 miles of shoreline and approximately 20,000 surface acres of water. Five years after the dam was finished, a new park was opened to the public. Boysen State Park quickly became a favorite attraction to fisherman, campers and boaters. Tourists and locals came far and wide to fish in the new lake which remains a popular attraction.
Original Boysen Dam, circa 1920’s
HotSpringsWyoming.com
The original dam was the dream – and curse - of Asmus Boysen in the early 1900’s. This Chicago politician, seeking to expand his wealth, had joined the gold rush into Wyoming. After surveying the 32
area, he decided that a dam was needed to provide electricity in the proposed Copper Mountain mining district. Those against the dam protested that it would prevent a railroad from being built through the Wind River Canyon and would threaten the safety of the Town of Thermopolis. Opponents were worried that the fledgling town would be swept away in floods should the dam fail. Despite these objections, Boysen was able to build his dam with his connections back in Washington D.C. Over one thousand men worked for him and he formed the town of Boysen at the mouth of the canyon. By 1911, his dam was completed and transmitting power. However, the dam was beset with continuing litigation from the railroad Visit Wyoming’s Favorite Hot Springs
