city, Park county, northwestern Wyoming, U.S., on the Shoshone River. Founded as a ranching centre in the Powder River basin, a predominantly agricultural district, Powell was named in honour of the 19th-century explorer John Wesley Powell (Powell, John Wesley). It developed a substantial oil industry when reserves were discovered in the Bonanza field in 1888. Agriculture gained renewed prominence with the completion in the early 20th century of the Shoshone River Project, which provided irrigation for the region. Powell now serves as a service centre and gateway to Yellowstone National Park 70 miles (113 km) to the west. Significant fossil remains have been recovered from shale beds near the city. Powell is the site of Northwest College (1946; two-year) and of the annual Park County Fair. Inc. 1910. Pop. (1990) 5,292; (2000) 5,373.