Blackfoot Dam () is a dam in
Caribou County, Idaho
Caribou County is a county located in the U.S. state of Idaho. As of the 2020 Census the county had a population of 7,027. The county seat and largest city is Soda Springs.
History
Robert Stuart explored the area of Soda Springs in 1812. Don ...
, in the eastern part of the state.
The earthen dam was completed in 1911 by the
United States Bureau of Indian Affairs
The Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), also known as Indian Affairs (IA), is a United States federal agency within the Department of the Interior. It is responsible for implementing federal laws and policies related to American Indians and Al ...
, with a height of and long at its crest. It impounds the
Blackfoot River of Idaho for flood control and irrigation water storage primarily for the
Fort Hall Indian Reservation
The Fort Hall Reservation is a Native American reservation of the federally recognized Shoshone-Bannock Tribes (Shoshoni language: Pohoko’ikkateeCrum, B., Crum, E., & Dayley, J. P. (2001). Newe Hupia: Shoshoni Poetry Songs. University Press ...
. The dam is owned and operated by the Bureau. Its construction came eight years before the 1919 formation of Caribou County.
The reservoir it creates, Blackfoot Reservoir, has a water surface of , and a maximum capacity of . Blackfoot Dam impounds the river at the northwestern end of the reservoir; the China Hat Dam towards the southwest of the reservoir was constructed in 1923 to resolve seepage problems. Recreation includes fishing for rainbow and cutthroat trout,
(sic) as well as carp.
References
{{Authority control
Dams in Idaho
Reservoirs in Idaho
United States Bureau of Indian Affairs dams
Dams completed in 1911
Buildings and structures in Caribou County, Idaho
Lakes of Caribou County, Idaho
1911 establishments in Idaho
Native American history of Idaho