Wonderland of Rocks near Barker Dam

Before the park was established in 1936, ranching outfits and mine operators modified many natural tanks in the streambeds and washes to serve as stock ponds in the park area. Barker Reservoir was constructed as a ranch stock water pond in a natural basin amongst the granite domes in the high country.. Many small reservoirs were constructed in the area starting in the 1870s. C.O. Barker and William Shay established a cattle operation that ran in the high valleys. Barker built the first foundation for Barker Dam. In the 1950s, rancher Bill Keys and his family modified the dam to increase the size of the reservoir (Hickman, 1977; Krist, 1995).