{"id":845,"featured":0,"modified":"2026-04-17 19:32:19","latitude":44.370686173786481276692938990890979766845703125,"longitude":-104.7757624306828887483789003454148769378662109375,"title":"Keyhole Beach: The Key to Beach Life","subtitle":"","fullsize":"https://www.intermountainhistories.org/files/fullsize/a1198626791a7dda71da4448f593c7fd.jpg","address":"","all_locations":[],"zoom":5,"creator":["Olivia Hall, Northern Arizona University"],"description":"Located on the southeast shore of Keyhole Reservoir, Keyhole Beach is hailed for its fishing opportunities and as a “mecca” for bird-watching with about 225 species to see. Along with catching one of Wyoming’s largest fish, a freshwater drum, beachgoers can enjoy swimming, boating, kayaking, paddleboarding, sunbathing, and waterskiing. The closest campground is called Tatanka, after the Lakota word for “buffalo.” Tatanka Campground has the best selection of amenities in the area, including water and electric hookups for RVs and rentable cabins, as well as picnic tables at Tatanka, a marina, and a boat launch on the beach.

The Sioux inhabited and controlled the area long before the Bureau of Reclamation completed Keyhole Dam in 1952, and they continue to fight for this right today. In the Ft. Laramie Treaty of 1868, the U.S. recognized the tribe's ownership of the Black Hills territory which included the Šahíyela Wakpá River (also known as the Belle Fourche River). Named by French fur traders in the 1780s, Bella Fourche means “beautiful fork.” As miners illegally entered the territory throughout the 1870s, the settlers and the Sioux continued to have disputes about the ownership of the territory, and after the defeat of Custer at Little Bighorn, the U.S. waged war on the Sioux and then confiscated their land in 1877. While offered monetary compensation for the land grab after the 1980 Supreme Court case United States v. Sioux Nation of Indians, the Sioux believed this was an insufficient settlement and declined the money. The dispute over land ownership, and the Sioux’s claim on it, continues today.

As the gold rush persisted in the Black Hills more settlers moved in and in 1891 the Chicago and Northwestern Railroad entered the town of Belle Fourche, seventy-three miles to the northeast. The community became a livestock shipping hub and the name of Keyhole Reservoir derives from the livestock brand the McKean brothers used at their nearby ranch. The Bureau of Reclamation proposed the dam as a part of the Belle Fourche Project, started in 1904, which irrigated lands in the area. While ranchers protested the dam in 1950 due to their loss of farming land, the benefits of wildlife conservation, flood control, and recreational opportunities outweighed their concerns.

With the completion of the dam in 1952, beach life started to take off at Keyhole Reservoir with the creation of Keyhole State Park. In 1984, the Keyhole Expo was a county fair on the beach's shores that included hot air balloon racing, windsurfing, and more. In 1989, the State Park expanded upon the fair as a part of Wyoming State Park’s “Summerfest.” This event included boat rides to discover the beauty of Keyhole Reservoir, arts and crafts booths, and food concessions.

Today, Keyhole Beach hosts events such as a Lantern Fest where beachgoers can release floating lanterns on the reservoir and witness the illumination of the lake. Keyhole Marina also contains a bar and grill where visitors can eat and listen to live music on the beach. The community-oriented marina and campgrounds paired with scenic views make Keyhole Beach a memorable vacation spot.","sponsor":null,"accessinfo":"","lede":"The "key" to beach life in Wyoming can be found at Keyhole Beach. The land originally belonged to the Sioux, however, the U.S. government claimed it in 1877 and the beach was later created by the reservoir behind Keyhole Dam in 1952.","website":"","related_resources":["

“Belle Fourche History.” Belle Fourche Chamber of Commerce, May 11, 2023. Available at https://bellefourchechamber.org/belle-fourche-history/#:~:text=Belle%20Fourche%20Riv er%20(French%20for,Rivers%20and%20the%20Hay%20Creek.

","Clark, Linda. “Sioux Treaty of 1868.” National Archives and Records Administration, 2016. Available at https://www.archives.gov/education/lessons/sioux-treaty#:~:text=In%20the%20spring%2 0of%201868,reservation%20in%20the%20Dakota%20Territory.","

“Encyclopedia of the Great Plains.” Encyclopedia of the Great Plains | INDIAN CLAIMS COMMISSION. Available at http://plainshumanities.unl.edu/encyclopedia/doc/egp.law.021#:~:text=In%20the%20mos t%20notorious%20case,not%20just%20inadequate%2C%20the%20Lakotas.

","

Filbin, Patrick. “Keyhole Unlocked.” Gillette News Record, May 27, 2018. Available at https://www.gillettenewsrecord.com/news/local/article_f3ed0374-2e72-5807-9296-9db5c 0b2cc3c.html.

","

“Five O’clock Bar & Grill Keyhole Marina .” Keyhole Marina Wyo. Available at https://keyholemarinawyo.com/5-o-clock-bar-grill.

","“Keyhole State Park to Hold Lanternfest.” Wyoming State Parks, Historic Sites, & Trails, 2023. Available at https://wyoparks.wyo.gov/index.php/news-keyhole/1969-keyhole-state-park-to-host-lanternfest","

Keyhole State Park. Wyoming Department of State Parks and Cultural Resources, n.d. Available at https://enjoyyourparks.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Keyhole_State_Park_Map_and_ Brochure.pdf.

","

“Keyhole State Park.” Wyoming State Parks, Historic Sites, & Trails. Available at https://wyoparks.wyo.gov/index.php/places-to-go/keyhole.

","Casper Star-Tribune, July 17, 1984. Available at https://www.newspapers.com/article/casper-star-tribune/135845966/.","Casper Star-Tribune, May 26, 1989. Available at https://www.newspapers.com/article/casper-star-tribune/135846166/.","

Reclamation, Bureau of. “Belle Fourche Project .” Bureau of Reclamation. Available at https://www.usbr.gov/projects/index.php?id=517.

","

Reclamation, Bureau of. “Keyhole Unit.” Bureau of Reclamation. Available at https://www.usbr.gov/projects/index.php?id=468#:~:text=Construction%20of%20Keyhol e%20Dam%20began,completed%20on%20October%2025%2C%201952.&text=Keyhole %20Dam%20and%20Reservoir%20are,by%20the%20Bureau%20of%20Reclamation.

","

“Wyoming’s Record Fish .” Wyoming Game and Fish Department - State Record Fish, 2018. Available at https://wgfd.wyo.gov/Fishing-and-Boating/State-Record-Fish.

"],"factoids":[],"files":{"https://www.intermountainhistories.org/files/fullsize/a1198626791a7dda71da4448f593c7fd.jpg":{"id":3727,"mime-type":"image/jpeg","title":"Keyhole Reservoir, 2008","description":"People kayak and boat on Keyhole Reservoir. To the top right one can see the Keyhole Marina and 5 O’Clock Bar & Grill and to the top left is Keyhole Dam, 2008. | Nfinitloop. Keyhole Reservoir. 2008. Photograph. “Flickr.” https://flic.kr/p/59Jo4w.","thumbnail":"https://www.intermountainhistories.org/files/square_thumbnails/a1198626791a7dda71da4448f593c7fd.jpg"},"https://www.intermountainhistories.org/files/fullsize/97ea257ffcc2f613969f2681101a7c88.jpg":{"id":3728,"mime-type":"image/jpeg","title":"Keyhole Reservoir with Keyhole Beach across the lake, 2022","description":"View of the bright blue waters of Keyhole Reservoir with Keyhole Beach across the lake, 2022 | Webster, Tony. Keyhole Reservoir Lake - Keyhole State Park - Pine Haven Wyoming. 2022. Photograph. “Flickr.” https://flic.kr/p/2nx53sy.","thumbnail":"https://www.intermountainhistories.org/files/square_thumbnails/97ea257ffcc2f613969f2681101a7c88.jpg"},"https://www.intermountainhistories.org/files/fullsize/4c1c1fd10a3364e53d8d90e482015219.jpg":{"id":3729,"mime-type":"image/jpeg","title":"Keyhole Reservoir with the shore at Keyhole Beach, 2005","description":"View of Keyhole Reservoir with the shore at Keyhole Beach, 2005. | Carey, Joe. Keyhole Reservoir Wyoming. 2005. Photograph. “Flickr.” https://flic.kr/p/3NZWkW.","thumbnail":"https://www.intermountainhistories.org/files/square_thumbnails/4c1c1fd10a3364e53d8d90e482015219.jpg"}}}