The Galesville Reservoir is formed by a dam built on the upper portion of  Cow Creek.  Proposed in 1966 as a water storage dam, it had a targeted completion date of 1975. It was completed in October of 1986.  The dam does not include a fish ladder and acts as a complete fish passage barrier.  The reservoir includes 47,482.5 acres of land in the surrounding area.  98.7% of the land in the area is used for forestry and is owned by the US Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM).  The remaining land is privately owned. 

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The upper portion of the reservoir is a wildlife area while the lower portion sports the Chief Miwaleta RV Park and Campground.  The campground is named after an Indian Chief of the Cow Creek Band of Umpqua Tribe of Indians.  The campground includes RV and tent camping and several small cabins for renting.   

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Galesville is a fishery for rainbow trout, bass and coho smolts (also called landlocked salmon).  The reservoir is regularly stocked with rainbow trout and Coho throughout the fishing spring and summer.  Although open to fishing year round, bass fishing is usually not good during the colder months of the year. 

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Rainbow trout and Coho can be caught with the usual power bait and worms while bass will go for plastic jigs and night crawlers when the water temperature rises.