Blacks Fork

{{about|a river in Utah and Wyoming|the ghost town of the same name|Blacks Fork, Utah}}

{{Infobox river

| name = Blacks Fork

| native_name =

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| name_other = Blacks Fork of the Green River

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| image = Blacks Fork - Flaming Gorge National Recreation Area 23-9-2014 9-58-05.JPG

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| subdivision_type1 = Country

| subdivision_name1 = United States

| subdivision_type2 = State

| subdivision_name2 = Utah, Wyoming

| subdivision_type3 = Counties

| subdivision_name3 = Summit, Uinta, Lincoln, Sweetwater

| subdivision_type4 = Cites

| subdivision_name4 = Millburne, Fort Bridger, Granger

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| length =

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| discharge1_location= USGS gage #09224700 near Little America{{cite web|url=http://wdr.water.usgs.gov/wy2013/pdfs/09224700.2013.pdf|title=USGS Gage #9224700 on Blacks Fork near Little America, WY|publisher=U.S. Geological Survey|work=National Water Information System|date=1962–2013|accessdate=2014-08-31}}

| discharge1_min = {{convert|0|cuft/s|m3/s|abbr=on}}

| discharge1_avg = {{convert|292|cuft/s|m3/s|abbr=on}}{{cite web|url=http://wdr.water.usgs.gov/wy2013/pdfs/09224700.2013.pdf|title=USGS Gage #9224700 on Blacks Fork near Little America, WY|publisher=U.S. Geological Survey|work=National Water Information System|date=1962–2013|accessdate=2014-08-31}}

| discharge1_max = {{convert|9980|cuft/s|m3/s|abbr=on}}

| source1 =

| source1_location = Uinta Mountains (Utah)

| source1_coordinates= {{coord|40|56|25|N|110|35|19|W|display=inline}}

| source1_elevation =

| mouth = Flaming Gorge Reservoir

| mouth_location = Wyoming

| mouth_coordinates = {{coord|41|17|42|N|109|32|06|W|display=inline,title}}

| mouth_elevation =

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| tributaries_left = Little West Fork Blacks Fork, Hams Fork

| tributaries_right = Smiths Fork

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Blacks Fork (also referred to as Blacks Fork of the Green River) is a {{convert|175|mi|km|adj=mid|-long}}U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data. {{cite web |url=http://viewer.nationalmap.gov/viewer/ |title=The National Map |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120329155652/http://viewer.nationalmap.gov/viewer/ |archivedate=2012-03-29 }}, accessed March 18, 2011 tributary of the Green River in Utah and Wyoming in the United States.{{gnis|1605141|Blacks Fork}}

Description

The river rises on the northern side of the Uinta Mountains in the Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest in Summit County, Utah, as the combination of three streams draining the area around Tokewanna Peak near the Utah–Wyoming border. Just before the river crosses into Wyoming, it flows into Meeks Cabin Reservoir, which is used for irrigation and flood control.{{cite web|url=http://www.usbr.gov/dataweb/html/lyman.html|title=Lyman Project|publisher=Bureau of Reclamation|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080514020412/http://www.usbr.gov/dataweb/html/lyman.html|archivedate=2008-05-14}} After entering Uinta County in Wyoming and then flowing out of the reservoir, the river leaves the national forest.

It then flows northeast through unincorporated community of Millburne and along the edge of the census-designated place of Fort Bridger. Turning to a nearly eastern course, the river passes under Interstate 80 (I‑80) before joining with the Smiths Fork (possibly named for Jedediah Smith{{cite book|last2=Wheat |first2=Carl I|last1=Morgan|first1=Dale L|title=Jedediah Smith and his Maps of the American West|publisher=California Historical Society|location=San Francisco|year=1954|page=51}}), which forms just east of the Blacks Fork in the Uinta Mountains and parallels it for most of its course. The river continues northeast, very briefly passing through the extreme southeast corner of Lincoln, Wyoming, (where it turns east) before entering Sweetwater County, Wyoming. The river then meets the Hams Fork from the north on the southwest edge of Granger.

Promptly after entering Granger, the river passes along the south edge of the Granger Stage Station and then passes under U.S. Route 30 (US 30). Shortly after that, the river makes sharp turn south (passing under I‑80/US 30) and eventually entering the Flaming Gorge National Recreation Area and joining the Green River at Flaming Gorge Reservoir

History

The river is named for Arthur Black,{{cite book|last=Bagley |first=Will|title=South Pass: Gateway to a Continent |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=sx9_AwAAQBAJ |publisher=University of Oklahoma Press |location=Norman|isbn=978-0806145112|year=2014|page=57}} who was trapped in the area in 1824, as an employee of the Ashley/Henry Company.{{cite web |url=http://historytogo.utah.gov/salt_lake_tribune/mormon_trail_series/070597.html |title=Utah History to Go |website=historytogo.utah.gov |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060923065329/http://historytogo.utah.gov/salt_lake_tribune/mormon_trail_series/070597.html |archive-date=2006-09-23}}

In 1843, mountain man Jim Bridger and his partner Louis Vasquez constructed a trading post on the Blacks Fork, located west of the present-day Lyman, known later as Fort Bridger. The post soon became a popular stop along the Oregon and California trails and later marked the point at which the Mormon Trail left the other two and continued into Utah.

Climate

The Buck Pasture SNOTEL weather station is located near the source for the west fork of the Blacks Fork River.

{{Weather box

|location = Buck Pasture, Utah, 2012–2022 normals: 9700ft (2957m)

|single line = Yes

|Jan record high F = 57

|Feb record high F = 56

|Mar record high F = 59

|Apr record high F = 64

|May record high F = 68

|Jun record high F = 78

|Jul record high F = 78

|Aug record high F = 80

|Sep record high F = 78

|Oct record high F = 68

|Nov record high F = 60

|Dec record high F = 54

|year record high F =

|Jan avg record high F = 48.5

|Feb avg record high F = 46.8

|Mar avg record high F = 52.8

|Apr avg record high F = 58.3

|May avg record high F = 64.2

|Jun avg record high F = 73.6

|Jul avg record high F = 76.1

|Aug avg record high F = 75.4

|Sep avg record high F = 72.5

|Oct avg record high F = 61.3

|Nov avg record high F = 54.1

|Dec avg record high F = 47.5

|year avg record high F = 77.0

|Jan high F = 33.8

|Feb high F = 32.9

|Mar high F = 40.5

|Apr high F = 44.4

|May high F = 51.6

|Jun high F = 64.0

|Jul high F = 69.8

|Aug high F = 68.0

|Sep high F = 61.0

|Oct high F = 48.6

|Nov high F = 39.6

|Dec high F = 31.0

|year high F =

|Jan mean F = 17.6

|Feb mean F = 17.6

|Mar mean F = 25.2

|Apr mean F = 29.9

|May mean F = 38.8

|Jun mean F = 48.9

|Jul mean F = 54.7

|Aug mean F = 52.8

|Sep mean F = 46.6

|Oct mean F = 35.5

|Nov mean F = 25.6

|Dec mean F = 16.9

|year mean F =

|Jan low F = 1.3

|Feb low F = 2.2

|Mar low F = 9.8

|Apr low F = 15.4

|May low F = 26.1

|Jun low F = 33.8

|Jul low F = 39.7

|Aug low F = 37.7

|Sep low F = 32.1

|Oct low F = 22.4

|Nov low F = 11.5

|Dec low F = 2.9

|year low F =

|Jan avg record low F = -23.0

|Feb avg record low F = -24.5

|Mar avg record low F = -14.8

|Apr avg record low F = -5.8

|May avg record low F = 9.5

|Jun avg record low F = 22.9

|Jul avg record low F = 31.5

|Aug avg record low F = 30.5

|Sep avg record low F = 18.7

|Oct avg record low F = 0.5

|Nov avg record low F = -12.4

|Dec avg record low F = -22.8

|year avg record low F = -29.4

|Jan record low F = −35

|Feb record low F = −31

|Mar record low F = −22

|Apr record low F = -17

|May record low F = -6

|Jun record low F = 17

|Jul record low F = 25

|Aug record low F = 27

|Sep record low F = 11

|Oct record low F = -21

|Nov record low F = -29

|Dec record low F = −33

|year record low F =

|precipitation colour = green

|Jan precipitation inch = 2.71

|Feb precipitation inch = 2.78

|Mar precipitation inch = 2.84

|Apr precipitation inch = 3.58

|May precipitation inch = 2.85

|Jun precipitation inch = 1.50

|Jul precipitation inch = 1.62

|Aug precipitation inch = 2.06

|Sep precipitation inch = 2.31

|Oct precipitation inch = 2.68

|Nov precipitation inch = 2.95

|Dec precipitation inch = 2.85

|year precipitation inch =

|source 1 = XMACIS2

{{cite web

|url = https://xmacis.rcc-acis.org/

|publisher = National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

|title = xmACIS2

|access-date = November 17, 2023

}}

|source 2 = NOAA (Precipitation)

{{cite web

|url = https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/services/data/v1?dataset=normals-monthly-1991-2020&startDate=0001-01-01&endDate=9996-12-31&stations=USS0010J23S&format=pdf

|title= Buck Pasture, Utah 1991-2020 Monthly Normals

|access-date = November 17, 2023

}}