Northwest College

Big Horn Basin Map

North Fork of the Shoshone River

Quick Facts
  • The 52 mile stretch of the Shoshone River between Cody and the east entrance to Yellowstone is referred to locally as the North Fork.
  • Teddy Roosevelt called it "the most scenic 52 miles in America."
  • The North Fork flows through the Shoshone National Forest, the first national forest in America.
  • The Wapiti Ranger Station, built in the Wapiti Valley in 1903, was the first ranger station. Wapiti is the native American word for elk.
  • Archeologists found the naturally mummified remains of a male in a cave along the river in 1962. Carbon dating fixed the age of the remains at over 7,000 years.
  • In 1901 Buffalo Bill Cody established a lodge three miles from the east entrance to Yellowstone. He named it Pahaska Teepee. Pahaska means long hair, and it was the Sioux word for Buffalo Bill.
Links
North Fork of the Shoshone River photo
North Fork of the Shoshone River photo