The Bingham County news. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1918-1930, 1923-05-25
Potential Water Power I'm Big Horn
Canyon, Wyoming and Montana,
Report on We Power Resources OF
the Canyon Now Available.

and its utilization are considered In
report just prepared by Benjamin
E. Jones and David ]. Guy, hydraulic
engineers of the Department of the
Interior. The publication Of the re-
port may be delayed, and to make the
date Immediately available to the
public manuscript copies have been
placed on file in the office Of the
Geological Survey in Washington, D.
c., and at the office of the District
Engineer in Room So Montana Bank
Building at Helena, Montana, where
they are now open for inspection.
A Trip Through the Canyon
To study the power available on
Big Horn river between Lovel, Wyo.,
and Hardin, Mont, the two engineers,
accompanied by George Olson Of Low
ell, Wyo., and w. H. Dayhof Of Miles
City, Mont, made trip through the
canyon in 1921. This was the sixth
party to traverse the canyon If Gre
dence is given to the story that the
| first trip was made by soldier who,
to escape the Indians, went through
the canyon on log. The power re-
port is based on information obtained
on the trip, on topographic maps Of
the canyon prepared by A. w. F..
Koch, of Hardin, Mont, engineer Of
the Big Horn Canyon Irrigation and
Power Co., on stream flow records
obtained at Hardin, Mont, for the
period 1905 to 1920, and on other In
formation available in the Interior
Department.
In the stretches above and below
the canyon the Big Horn flows thru
broad basins in which there are irri-
gated lands on both sides of the
stream and bench lands farther back.
The canyon itself lies in huge fold
of the rock beds that form the north
end of the Big Horn mountains. Thru
this fold the river has cut its wind
ing way in deep, narrow gorge 80
miles long, which begins miles
south Of the Wyoming boun-
Diary.
A trip through the canyon gives the
by an explorer who every day faces
the unknown, for, once in the canyon
he can not see far ahead because the
channel is tortuous. The bottom OF
the gorge is completely filled by the
river, from which bare walls of rock
rise on both sides to heights of 1000
or 1900 feet, and the traveller can find
his way out only by going on with
the current to meet whatever peril
may await him around the next bend.
At each bend the matter OF first con-
Germ is the rapids, which can be heard
before they can be seen. In these ra-
pids the water surges over and round
huge boulders that have dropped
from the cliffs above.
After the rapids are passed the
traveller finds time to to look up at
the canyon walls, which are built OF
thick horizontal layers of limestone
of various shades Of gray. The sur
face of the rock is weathered ana
cracked, and here an there green
pine clings precariously to the race
of the cliff. Along the top Of the can
Won on both sides there is a band Oh
red shale, sandstone. and limestone
200 feet thick. Above the rim the traV-
eler gets an occasional glimpse OF
some high peak far beyond At many
places the vivid coloring OF the can
Won walls is beautiful and the view is
If appealing grandeur. But the over
towering impression the Traveller
gets is that of the nearness OF these
of rock, which rise up De-
side him so close that he can not Dut
feel their immense size. So he ana MS
little party creep along in their poats
between the cliffs, lodging the rocks
Or edging around the rapids, happy
Il they can escape alive from the per-
lis threatened from these giants OF
nature.
Plans for Development
Big Horn river falls $50 feet in the
,anyon and has flow of 1900 second
'eet for 80 per cent Of the time ana
,.475 second feet for so per cent OF
he time. Without storage the po-
,ential power for 80 per cent OF tho
line at 70 per cent efficiency Is 3D.
700 horsepower and for SO per cent OF
he time is $4,000 horsepower. Suit
,bIe dam sites are numerous and can
,e developed economically as soon as
market for the power is available.
The Big Horn Canyon Irrigation
md Power Co. proposes to build
lam near the mouth Of the canyon to
, height Of 4S0 feet above the foun-
lation and $50 feet above the low
water surface Of the river. Such
lam would utilize the entire fall In
he canyon, and If the upper 200 feet
II the reservoir were used to store
water the total flow Of the river IN
,ears Of low water could be equal
zed and a continuous flow Of 3,10o
Iecond feet obtained. Such dam
would make available $4,000 horse
power continuously. The proposed
apacity Of the turbines Is 10000
horsepower. 1t is also proposed to +,
take water from the reservoir at . !,