Show d J I r I av p wt w MRS MAY SPROUSE Is standing beside the marker dedicated Sunday In commemoration of the first post office in Lapoint Lapoint DUP Dedicates First Post Office LAPOINT-Lapoint LAPOINT daughters of Utah Pioneers Pioneer's dedicated a marker Sunday of last week in commemoration of their first post office in this vicinity The post office was first 10 lo- lo located one mile south of the present one and was named Taft IN 1908 the post office was moved to the present location and named Lapoint by Don B Colton then president of Uin Uin- Uintah tah Stake Lapoint is a Frenc French word The meaning Place Bayless E Sprouse was the first postmaster who had bad a small store in connection with the office Bert Lloyd bought the merchandise and he and Bill Davis built a brick building in Lapoint moving the store and post office to this location Bert Lloyd became the postmaster MORE THAN people at tended the dedication including the county DUP officers officers who had given the project ct their full support The following history of La point was obtained from writ writ- writings ings of C B Bartlett who reo re sided in Tridell and read at the marker dedication In 1905 the Uintah Indian Re Re- Re Reservation was opened to white settlers As there was such a demand for homesteaders the people had to draw numbers giving them the right to make homestead filings A few came cameto cameto to the reservation that fall but the main body came the next spring and filed on their home In 1906 William Sprouse and Harmon Mullins came to the present location of Lapoint lea lea- leased sed an Indian allotment and settled on their homesteads During 1907 they farmed their leases using Indian water as the Whiterocks Irrigation Company hadn't started work on their canal AS THE FIRST consideration of these settlers was water the Whiterocks Irrigation Company was formed Jan 13 1906 with thirteen stockholders John Bates was chosen president with J S McConkie and J C Hack hack- hacking ing as directors and H Walter Woolley as secretary B O 0 Col Col- Colton ton was employed by the board to survey the canal Early in the spring of 1907 a group of homesteaders came from Vernal and started work on the canal on Whiterocks Bench They were very discouraged aged to find that nearly all aB of the survey stakes had been pull ed up by the Indians and thrown away Not to be beaten they found enough stakes to give them the east and west boun dries so they started to break ground for an enterprise that was to be the life of our pre sent community The men who participated in the first work of building the Whiterocks Canal were Stephen Ross George ii H Bartlett C B Bartlett fore man of Tridell and Sim Ross Joseph Abegglen Louis Franke and Lyle Fisher of Lapoint also alsoC alsoC C A Thompson who was one of the first foremen It is said that these men would never plant a turnip in their gardens after the ditch was finished because food was so scarce that they practically lived on tur tur- tur turnips nips the first two years while working on their irrigation pro The people felt well reo re paid for the five long years of heartbreaking labor when the canal was finally finished and they could harvest crops from their land DURING THE next two or three years the families of Jake Killian LeRoy Lenoy Taylor William Davis Sarah Charles Graham Abe Warburton War ren Ross James Harrison Eph Ray Pickup Sim Ross Thomas Hackford J C Continued on page 13 Lapoint DUP Continued from page 9 Hacking and Abner Swain came cameto cameto to the new town to live B O 0 Colton helped to survey the theland theland land and locate the new comers on their homesteads In 1908 Bayless E Sprouse started the first store and post postoffice postoffice office whit which was located one mile south of the present town of Lapoint and was called Taft Roy Warburton carried the mail from Vernal making the trip in two days on horse back La La- La Later ter Jake Killian carried the mail from Ft Duchesne In a white topped buggy AS THERE WAS no organized branch of the church here ser ser ser- services vices were held along with all of Tridell in the John Starr In- In Indian Indian dian House and under the branch of the church that was wasat wasat at Hayden C B Bartlett acted as president with Horace Mor- Mor Morrill Morrill rill and John Merkley as coun- coun counselors counselors One of the first needs of the new community was a school so school was held in the In- In Indian Indian dian building with Ethel Wat- Wat Watkins Watkins kins from Vernal as teacher Eph James Cook and George H Bartlett were trustees of the new school C A Thompson was a trustee also In 1911 the school was moved one mile east into another In In- In Indian dian building and the teacher here was Madeline Eubanks A year later the school was moved two miles farther east to the home of Sarah In 1915 the school was moved to its present location and a building erected that was known as the White School House The new town had grown to such an extent that the new building wouldn't accommodate all the children and the older ones learned their lessons in a tent IN FEB OF 1914 a branch of the Church of Jesus Christ Christof Christof of Latter day Saints was or here as Liberty Ward with C A Thompson as pre pre pre- presiding siding Elder and Willi William m Sprouse and Hayden Foster as counselors At this time the people de de- de decided the town should be more centralized so the post office and store were moved to its present location and the town named Lapoint Two men are given the honor of being the first postmasters J C Hacking and A II H Loyd who were lot fol lowed by C A Thompson Clod Garanger DA Lameraux Hay den Foster and the present post post- postmistress mistress Thelma Winn Wil Wil- William liam Marshall and J C Hack Hack- a new Davis owning the first one Ab- Ab Abner Abnor nor ner Swain an experienced brick maker saw the need of good material for the new buildings that were soon to be erected so with the financial help of J C Hacking Mr Swain and his boys started the first brick brickyard brickyard yard The first kiln of brick went into the J G Hacking store and home There are three brick store buildings and the school house still standing In Lapoint along with many brick homes These brick made of native soil were also used for the church house school and many homes in Tridell I SEPT 10 1916 the Lapoint Ward was organized James MI H Shaffer was sustained as bis- bis bishop hop with Roy Taylor as first and Stephen W Ashby as sec sec- second second ond counselors and William C Marshall was chosen as ward clerk At a meeting held at Lapoint Dec 31 1916 Bishop J M H Shaf Shaf- Shaf Shaffer fer was released as he was moving to Vernal and Roy Tay tor lor who has acted as first counselor to Bishop Shaffer was sustained Bishop of Lapoint Ward with Stephen W Ashby as first and Jesse Samuel Brough were sustained as counselors The new community was ever mindful of the educational needs of their children so it wasn't surprising to see the new brick school building of four rooms and offices ready for occupancy by the fall of 1919 and by 1925 the additional rooms were added and since that time only minor changes and improvements have been added as the building was planned to meet all needs neds of the growing community The school has a modern heating healing system and cold storage locker running water and a kitchen that is the envy of many school cooks The grounds have been landscaped and fenced Many trees and shrubs were wele planted to make It one of the most attractive school yards in the Basin ABOUT 1933 A Community Health Service was organized and through their efforts with the State Health Department a Community Well Nell was started with State Funds The townsite people developed this project and they now enjoy a good wa ter system The State Road Commission made the Lapoint to Vernal road roada a secondary state highway and andin andin in 1933 and 1934 a good road was built and graveled from Lapoint to US 40 at Ft Duch Duch- Duchesne Duchesne esne making it possible to have one day mail service from Salt Lake to Lapoint In 1939 the Rural Electrification Project |