Guernsey State Park
Guernsey State Park is a public recreation area surrounding the Guernsey Reservoir, an impoundment of the North Platte River, one mile northwest of the town of Guernsey in Platte County, Wyoming, USA. The state park has campgrounds, boat ramps and hiking trails as well as exceptional examples of structures created by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s.[6] Facilities are managed for the Bureau of Reclamation by the Wyoming Division of State Parks and Historic Sites.[7]
Guernsey State Park | |
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IUCN category III (natural monument or feature)[1] | |
Guernsey Reservoir | |
![]() ![]() Location in Wyoming | |
Location | Platte County, Wyoming, United States |
Nearest town | Guernsey, Wyoming |
Coordinates | 42°17′24″N 104°45′50″W[2] |
Area | 8,631 acres (34.93 km2)[3] |
Elevation | 4,416 ft (1,346 m)[2] |
Designation | Wyoming state park |
Established | 1934 |
Administrator | Wyoming State Parks, Historic Sites & Trails |
Website | Guernsey State Park |
Lake Guernsey State Park | |
![]() Guernsey State Park Museum | |
Location | Platte County, Wyoming |
Nearest city | Guernsey, Wyoming |
Area | 3,760 acres (original) 8,602 acres (increase)[4] |
Built | 1934-39 |
Architect | Civilian Conservation Corps; Roland Pray (original) S. R. Deboer; Richard G. Redell; et al. (expanded) |
Architectural style | National Park Service Rustic, Bungalow/Craftsman, Other |
NRHP reference No. | 80004051 (original) 97001260 (increase)[4] |
Significant dates | |
Added to NRHP | August 26, 1980 (original) September 25, 1997 (increase) |
Designated NHLD | September 25, 1997[5] |
History
The park began with the construction of the Guernsey Dam, started in 1925 and completed in 1927.[8][9] Between 1934 and 1939, workers with the Civilian Conservation Corps created recreational facilities on the land surrounding the dam's reservoir. Park management fell to the state of Wyoming in 1957.[4]
Lake Guernsey State Park (also known as Guernsey State Park Historic District, Lake Guernsey Park, Guernsey Lake Park, or Guernsey State Park) was declared a National Historic Landmark District in 1997 for its design history and construction. The park's design was the result of the first collaboration between the National Park Service and the Bureau of Reclamation, and its infrastructure was built by Civilian Conservation Corps crews. The historic district contains 60 contributing resources: 14 buildings, three sites and 43 structures, as well as 46 non-contributing resources.[4][10]
Features
The Guernsey State Park Museum offers information about the CCC and the natural and cultural history of the area.[11][12] The park contains a separate National Historic Landmark, the Oregon Trail Ruts. Register Cliff, another feature of the Oregon Trail listed on the National Register of Historic Places, is located two miles southeast of the park.[6]
Activities and amenities
The park has seven campgrounds and three boat ramps. Fish species include walleye, yellow perch and channel catfish. Fish populations are affected by the reservoir's twice-yearly draw-downs.[7]
References
- "Guernsey State Park". Protected Planet. IUCN. Retrieved May 1, 2018.
- "Guernsey Dam". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey.
- "Table 1. Facilities managed by Wyoming State Parks, Historic Sites and Trails" (PDF). SOAR 2021. Wyoming Department of State Parks and Cultural Resources. p. 12. Retrieved August 28, 2017.
- Begley, Susan; Carr, Ethan (January 6, 1997). "Lake Guernsey State Park". National Historic Landmark Nomination. National Park Service. Retrieved December 1, 2015.
- "Listing of National Historic Landmarks by State". National Park Service. Retrieved March 11, 2020.
- "Guernsey State Park". Wyoming State Parks, Historic Sites & Trails. State of Wyoming. Retrieved August 28, 2017.
- "Guernsey Reservoir Facilities". Bureau of Reclamation. Retrieved June 24, 2016.
- "Guernsey Dam and Reservoir". Wyoming Places. Wyoming State Library. Retrieved March 11, 2020.
- "Wyoming: Guernsey Dam". National Park Service. Retrieved March 11, 2020.
- "Lake Guernsey State Park: Accompanying 20 images (photos and plans), from 1977, 1994, and c. 1935". NRHP database. National Park Service. Retrieved December 1, 2015.
- "Guernsey State Park". Sangres.com. Retrieved December 1, 2015.
- "Guernsey Museum Digitization Project". Wyoming State Parks & Historic Sites. Retrieved December 1, 2015.
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Guernsey State Park. |
- Guernsey State Park Wyoming State Parks, Historic Sites & Trails
- Guernsey State Park Brochure and Map Wyoming State Parks, Historic Sites & Trails
- Lake Guernsey State Park National Historic Landmark at the Wyoming State Historic Preservation Office
- Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS) No. WY-81, "Guernsey State Park Museum, Highway 317, Guernsey, Platte County, WY", 11 photos, 1 color transparency, 1 photo caption page
- Historic American Landscapes Survey (HALS) documentation:
- HALS No. WY-2-A, "Guernsey State Park, Men's Room", 1 photo, 1 photo caption page
- HALS No. WY-2-B, "Guernsey State Park, Park Sign", 1 photo, 1 photo caption page
- HALS No. WY-2-C, "Guernsey State Park, Castle Picnic Shelter", 1 photo, 1 photo caption page
- HALS No. WY-2-D, "Guernsey State Park, Water Fountain", 2 photos, 1 photo caption page
- HALS No. WY-2-E, "Guernsey State Park, Picnic Shelter", 2 photos, 1 photo caption page