[1] It was on the upper Klamath River, south (downstream) of Keno, and about 12 miles (19 km) north of the California border.

The concrete spillway portion contained three gates and formed the John C. Boyle Reservoir.

[5] As of February 2016, the states of Oregon and California, the dam owners, federal regulators and other parties reached an agreement to remove all four dams by the year 2020, pending approval by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC).

As of February 25, 2022, the FERC released their final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) on the dam's removal.

[10][11] It was named after John C. Boyle (1899–1979), who was vice president, general manager, and long-time chief engineer of the California Oregon Power Company (COPCO), a privately held utility that served southern Oregon and portions of northern California.