News Release Archive

Shoshone Power Plant Featured in CyArk 3D Imaging Website Designed to Preserve Historical Facilities and Landmarks

Media Contact: NPS Media Contact: Vanessa Lacayo, (303) 969-2062, vanessa_lacayo@nps.gov
BOR Media Contact: Tyler Johnson, tjohnson@usbr.gov

For Release: February 27, 2017

LAKEWOOD, Colo. -- The Bureau of Reclamation and National Park Service, with the help of CyArk, recently completed a new website allowing the public to virtually explore Shoshone Power Plant and learn about the technology used to generate hydroelectricity.

The Shoshone Power Plant is one of four power plants included in the Shoshone Project, constructed by the Bureau of Reclamation near Cody, Wyo., at the base of Buffalo Bill Dam. The power plants generate more than 100 million kilowatt hours of electricity per year, which is enough to power 110,000 homes.

February 26 marks the 171st birthday of William F. "Buffalo Bill" Cody, highlighting his contributions to places like the Shoshone Project, which brought irrigation and electric power to Wyoming's Big Horn Basin through a system of dams, reservoirs, canals, and power plants.

CyArk uses cutting-edge technology to capture detailed 3D representations of the world's significant cultural heritage sites before they are lost to natural disasters, destroyed by human aggression or ravaged by the passage of time.

At the turn of the 20th century, Buffalo Bill began planning a massive irrigation project he hoped would transform the landscape into productive farmlands. He also envisioned harnessing the Shoshone River to create hydroelectric power. While Buffalo Bill was not successful on his own, he convinced the Bureau of Reclamation to construct the Shoshone Project to support its original mission to reclaim (help settle) the American West. Shoshone Dam, completed in 1910 and now known as the Buffalo Bill Dam, and the Shoshone Power Plant, finished in 1922, are among the oldest Reclamation projects. The dam was essential to opening about 90,000 acres in northwestern Wyoming to irrigation. The upgraded power plant continues to provide electricity to area residents.

The CyArk site can be found at www.cyark.org/projects/shoshone-powerplant.

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The Bureau of Reclamation is a federal agency under the U.S. Department of the Interior and is the nation's largest wholesale water supplier and second largest producer of hydroelectric power. Our facilities also provide substantial flood control, recreation opportunities, and environmental benefits. Visit our website at https://www.usbr.gov and follow us on Twitter @USBR; Facebook @bureau.of.reclamation; LinkedIn @Bureau of Reclamation; Instagram @bureau_of_reclamation; and YouTube @reclamation.