Middle Fork Popo Agie River

Middle Fork Popo Agie River
The Middle Fork Popo Agie River seen from Main Street in Lander Wyoming.
Name origin: word po-PO-shuh, meaning "Head River" or possibly "Gurgling River"
Country	United States
State	Wyoming
Tributaries
- left	Baldwin Creek, Beason Creek
- right	Sawmill Creek
City	Lander, Wyoming
Source	Sweetwater Gap
- location	Wind River Range, Fremont County
- elevation	12,000 ft (3,658 m)
Mouth	North Popo Agie
- location	Fort McGraw
- elevation	5,000 ft (1,524 m)
- coordinates	42°51′14″N 108°42′00″W / 42.8540°N 108.6999°W / 42.8540; -108.6999Coordinates: 42°51′14″N 108°42′00″W / 42.8540°N 108.6999°W / 42.8540; -108.6999
Length	54 mi (87 km)
The Flow of the Middle Fork Popo Agie from source to confluence.

The Middle Fork Popo Agie River is a river in Wyoming in the United States. The river is 54 miles (87 km)long. The river is sometimes referred to as simply the 'Middle Fork'. The river is part of the Popo Agie Watershed and from its headwaters in the Wind River Range until it joins with the North Fork Popo Agie River, the river and its tributaries irrigate roughly 11,503 acres.

The Middle Fork is fed from spring sources, seasonal precipitation and annual snow melt, irrigation return flows, several tributaries including the Sawmill, Hornecker, and Baldwin Creeks, and the North Fork of the Popo Agie River. The river's head is near Sweetwater Gap in the southern Wind River Range and it flows through the mountains, reaching Sinks Canyon and eventually Lander, Wy before joining the North Fork of the Popo Agie River to form the Popo Agie, or Big Popo Agie River. The river then joins the Little Popo Agie River before its confluence at the Little Wind River.

The river has likely been known to native peoples for thousands of years. But one of the first written accounts comes from Benjamin Bonneville around 1833 when his expedition explored the Wind River region. The name Popo Agie is characteristic of many native languages. The word 'Popo', in the Crow language signifies 'Head' and 'Agie', means 'River'. However, the name has also been translated as "Gurgling River"

The river's flow and surrounding geological makeup have been studied for decades. By the early 20th Century, numerous minerals and other potential resources had been identified to possibly be developed. Everything from Limestone and Marble mining to hydroelectric power potential had been studied along the river.