| Show Diversion Dam at Duchesne To Honor Jesse Knight DUCHESNE Men in hard hats are carving a new chap chap- chapter chapter ter in utah's history in the lands and waterways near here As the huge bulk of earth which will form Starvation Starvation tion Dam rises men work on tunnels and diversion dams which will fill out the structure of Starvation Complex As this new dream nears reo re- realization the ghost of an old dream haunts the country One of the key installations of the complex is the Knight Di Di- Di Diversion version Dam named for Jesse Knight of Provo one of the West's pioneer industrial industrial- industrialists and a famed philanthropist There are still some old ditch ditch- ditches es and weirs which in the early part of the century were part of the Blue Bench Irrigation gation District No 1 1 The district was organized in 1913 by settlers in the valley It included some acres according to a history of the Knight family written by the late J William Knight To build an irrigation system tem and supply water for the district bonds were issued in inthe inthe the sum of After try try- trying try ing unsuccessfully for several years to make the project self self- supporting the landowners in 1916 appealed to Jesse Knight to come to their assistance The Knight family did not believe the scheme had intrinsic merit and were very much opposed to Mr Knights Knight's advancing money on the enter enter- enterprise prise But the distress of the district farmers touched his he heart art He not only advanced money for the purchase of the bonds he also bought the holdings of the farmers To realize any any- anything thing out of such an investment Mr Knight brought acres under cultivation and raised alfalfa hiring the former own own- owners ers to do some of the work He purchased grazing lands in Uinta mountain and brought in sheep Things looked good as long as prices stayed up and th canal was in fairly good condition Trouble came when timbers in inthe inthe the canal rotted and resulting leaks caused washouts Trouble doubled when the depression forced prices of sheep lambs and wool to rock bottom But while things were going well at the ranch a generous endowment fund was ed at Brigham Young sity Jesse Knight turned over worth of Blue Bench Irrigation District No 1 bonds for the benefit of the school The name of the generous man has a monument now in inthe inthe the big reclamation project which is being built h here re Starvation Dam is located on Strawberry River about three miles upstream from Duchesne and will form the Starvation Reservoir Surplus flows of both the Duchesne and Strawberry rivers will be stored In the reservoir The greater portion of the storable supply will be diverted from the Du- Du Duchesne Duchesne chesne River at the Knight Diversion Dam and conveyed to the Knight Diversion Dam and conveyed to the Starvation Re- Re Reservoir Reservoir in the Starvation Feed Feed- Feeder Feeder er Conduit Deseret News |
