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. 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.^[5] Facilities are managed for the Bureau of Reclamation by the Wyoming Division of State Parks and Historic Sites.^[6]

Guernsey State Park
Guernsey State Park Location in Wyoming
Location	Platte County, Wyoming, United States
Coordinates	42°19′3″N 104°49′11″W[1]
Area	8,631 acres (3,493 ha)[2]
Elevation	4,423 ft (1,348 m)[1]
Established	1934
Administered by	Wyoming State Parks, Historic Sites & Trails
Designation	Wyoming state park
Website	Official website
Lake Guernsey State Park
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
U.S. National Historic Landmark District
Guernsey State Park Museum
Area	3,760 acres (original) 8,602 acres (increase)[3]
Built	1934-39
Architect	Roland Pray (original) S. R. Deboer; Richard G. Redell (expanded)
Architectural style	National Park Service Rustic, Bungalow/Craftsman
NRHP reference No.	80004051 (original) 97001260 (increase)[3]
Significant dates
Added to NRHP	August 26, 1980 (original) September 25, 1997 (increase)
Designated NHLD	September 25, 1997[4]

History

Guernsey State Park Power Plant

The park began with the construction of the Guernsey Dam, started in 1925 and completed in 1927.^[7][8] 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.^[3]

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.^[3][9]

Features

The Guernsey State Park Museum offers information about the CCC and the natural and cultural history of the area.^[10][11] 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.^[5]

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.^[6]