Qualla: Buffalo Bill Dam

Buffalo Bill Dam: Introduction

Tue, 27 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Unknown authorUnknown author or not provided, Public domain. In 1937, two workers tunneling through rock for the Heart Mountain Canal project were overcome by fumes from explosives and hydrogen sulfide seeping from nearby geothermal vents. Disoriented in the toxic haze, they were struck by construction equipment and killed. Building in Shoshone Canyon has always come with risks. The dam that towers here today began as the Shoshone Dam, designed by engineer Daniel Webster Cole and constructed between 1905 and 1910. When completed, it stood as the tallest dam in the world. In 1946 it was renamed to honor William F. Cody, the showman and town founder who had championed development of this region. The structure earned a place on the National Register of Historic Places in 1971.

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Image: Unknown authorUnknown author or not provided | Public domain

Buffalo Bill Dam: Anchored in Ancient Rock

Tue, 27 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Acroterion, CC BY-SA 4.0. The dam is a concrete arch-gravity design, its curved face transferring the weight of billions of gallons of water into the Pre-Cambrian granitic walls of the canyon on either side. These rocks are among the oldest exposed formations in North America, providing an anchor point th...

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Image: Acroterion | CC BY-SA 4.0

Buffalo Bill Dam: Power from the Canyon

Tue, 27 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Bureau of Reclamation, CC BY-SA 2.0. Work on the Shoshone Power Plant began in 1920. Located downstream from the dam on the north side of the canyon, it was operational by 1922 following delays caused by spring flooding. The power plant marked the beginning of hydroelectric development that would eventually see thre...

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Image: Bureau of Reclamation | CC BY-SA 2.0

Buffalo Bill Dam: Making a Tall Dam Taller

Tue, 27 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Acroterion, CC BY-SA 4.0. Between 1985 and 1993, engineers returned to raise the dam's crest by 25 feet. The project increased the reservoir's capacity substantially and added 25.5 megawatts of generating capacity. New spillways were equipped with radial arm gates for better flood control. A visitor cente...

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Image: Acroterion | CC BY-SA 4.0

Buffalo Bill Dam: Three Power Plants

Tue, 27 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Acroterion, CC BY-SA 4.0. The Buffalo Bill Power Plant was built in 1992 alongside the dam heightening project. Located in Shoshone Canyon downstream from the original Shoshone Powerplant, it operates three Francis turbines with generators rated at 6 megawatts each. Two years later, in 1994, the Spirit Mo...

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Image: Acroterion | CC BY-SA 4.0