Show Ashley Valley Canal System Began 85 Years Ago The fertile fields of Ashley Valley once unmolested and serene meadowlands abounding abounding abounding abound abound- ing with wild animals have kept their lush beauty even through domestication This Is partly due to long- long range vision and planning by pioneers as they entered the valley who saw beyond the immediate years of tall grass and untouched streams streams past past pasta a trickling of homesteaders homesteaders- to a full and te teeming farming farming farming farm farm- ing community THESE PIONEERS with an eye to the future began to build in their minds' minds eye possibilities possibilities possibilities pos pos- of using the a abundant und ant water for irrigation to feed their families and seed their prosperity When Escalante following the old Indian trail crossed Brush Creek and Ashley Creek in the fall of 1776 he mentioned mention mention- ed in his diary that the fertile lands adjacent to Green River could be Irrigated from those two streams This was undoubtedly undoubtedly un un- the first mention of irrigation to be made In this country A CENTURY and two years later the first Irrigation ditch was constructed in the area The Burton ditch leading out of Brush Creek was made to carry water to be diverted from the Brush Creek for irrigation irrigation ir irrigation ir- ir purposes Captain Pardon Dodds and other pioneers settled along the Ashley and other creeks branching out from the mainstreams main mainstreams mainstreams streams very little with their primary irrigation ditches AS THE population gradually gradual gradual- ly increased however it became became be be- came necessary for the settlers set set- tiers to begin cultivating lands farther from the streams A canal was built and January 17 17 1884 1884 was incorporated as the Ashley Central Irrigation Company At the beginning the company company com com- pany had 57 stockholders The canal canal which led from front the Ashley Ashley Ashley Ash Ash- ley River as it was called was nearly six miles long THAT SAME year February ary any 20 1884 the Ashley Upper Canal was organized with 38 stockholders This canal was 12 miles long and led from the mouth of Ashley Canyon The Rock Point Canal and Irrigation Company began construction construction con con- construction of a canal May 2 1880 and the ditch was enlarged enlarged enlarged en en- in 1884 When the company company company com com- pany was incorporated March 23 1893 the canal was about six miles long THE GROUND was broken literally and soon other canals began to bisect the Uintah Basin The Whiterocks Irrigation Irrigation Irrig Irrig- atlon Company was organized January 13 1906 to supply water to farms located near Tridell and Lapoint The Burton Ditch was incorporated incorporated in in- in the spring of 1910 the Highline Canal June 15 35 1920 and numerous other canals such as the Burns Bench Union Canal Dry Fork and others followed THE ASHLEY Valley settlers settlers set set- set the pace for further developing of water facilities to refurbish the desert wastes within the county and extend the farmlands from the majestic majestic tic to tp the Ouray bot bot- One lesson soon learned by bythe bythe bythe the irrigators was allowing for forthe forthe forthe the heavy spring run-offs run which depleted the water supply to such extent that there was never never hover sufficient water for irrigation ir irrigation ir- ir late in the summer Hence reservoirs for water I storage came in existence almost almost al al- most as soon as canals THE FIRST dams at Twin Lakes were constructed in 1886 by James Hacking Lycurgus Johnston and a crew of men A third method of preserving preserving preserve ing water was introduced when the Dry Forks Sinks were although the attempt was unsuccessful The flume gave way and no attempt was made to rebuild it PARADISE Park and Che Che- peta pets Lake were filed upon by Whiterocks Irrigation Company Company Com Com- pany in 1915 The filing was approved April 26 1917 The Ashley Valley Reservoir Company was organized September September September Sept Sept- ember 8 1919 However the farmers were not united in etro rt their efforts to begin n ning the building building build build- ing of reservoirs Many preferred preferred pre pre- flooding their farms in inthe inthe inthe the spring to compensate for forthe forthe forthe the later dry season As a result many hundreds of acres of once fertile land became parched alkali soil and wasteland INITIAL WATER storage investigations investigations investigations in in- were made during the years of 1923 1919 under the direction of O. O W. W Israelson Israelson Israel Israel- son of the Utah Agricultural Experiment Station It was discovered that from acre feet of impounded water turned from Twin Lakes into the channel of Ashley Creek September 22 1922 94 acre feet found its way into the canals of Ashley Valley As a result of the investigations investigations recommendations were made for more storage reser reser- Today the valley surrounding surround surround- ing Vernal is checkered with fertile fields of hay grain gram and corn and residents enjoy an abundance of truck vegetables as a result of the made ma-made cross criss-cross of canals and pools of waters Today the valley surrounding surrounding surrounding surround surround- ing Vernal is checkered with fertile fields of hay grain and corn and residents enjoy an abundance of truck vegetables as a result of the man-made man cross criss-cross of canals and pools of waters |