[5] Following the agricultural devastation of the Dust Bowl during the 1930s, local residents and state officials advocated for construction of a dam in the Solomon River basin to create a reservoir for irrigation.

The Flood Control Act of 1944 authorized construction of Kirwin Dam and Reservoir as part of the Pick-Sloan Missouri Basin Program, but World War II and its aftermath delayed the effort.

In response, the U.S. Congress passed an appropriation act directing the immediate construction of Kirwin Dam and Reservoir for flood control, but allowing for further study before starting irrigation operations.

[6] The next month, contractors started building Kirwin Canal and its extensions east of the dam, finishing construction in January 1958.

[6][5] Kirwin National Wildlife Refuge was established in 1954 as an overlay project on the flood control and irrigation efforts at the site.

[5] The first such national refuge in Kansas, it was created to conserve and manage local wildlife, specifically migratory birds.

Outlet works through the dam, including a stilling well, empty directly into the river and the Kirwin Main Canal.

[5] The Kirwin Main Canal extends east from the dam for 13.4 miles (21.6 km) on the north side of the river.

[5] Fish species resident in Kirwin Reservoir include black crappie, channel catfish, largemouth and smallmouth bass, walleye, and wiper.

The surrounding wildlife refuge is home to a broad variety of animals including mule and white-tailed deer, hawks, owls, pheasants, prairie chickens, bobwhite quail, and Rio Grande turkeys.

[5] A remote portion of the refuge serves as a Research Natural Area consisting of bluestem [13] and grama prairie grasses.