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Show People, politics & policy in PI. Grove by E. MARK BEZZANT The public knows little about the history and workings of one of the most important companies in Pleasant Grove. This company is in the business of bringing the life giving commodity we call water to Pleasant Grove gardens and farms. One m onth and three days ago it was the 57th birthday of the Pleasant Grove Irrigation Company. Com-pany. With the 5,020 shares of irrigation stock the company has issued there would be no trouble putting out the 57 candles. In fact, anyone of the company directors could blow out that many candles, including current, company president J.H. Harvey. Most of the current directors of the company were just kids when the company was incorporated on January 17, 1929. Prior to that date the owners of water had been known as the Pleasant Grove Irrigation System. According to Lawrence M. Atwood, the first president of the company, previous attempts to incorporate had failed several times. "Mayor Frank B. Newman, Joseph A. Dickerson and I (L M Atwood) went to Salt lake at night and went over Articles of Incorporation In-corporation to make any correction necessary." So wrote the first president of the Irrigation Company in his diary January 23, 1929. His journal entries go on to say how he visited Len Fryer, Wm. stewan Harve Cooper and Sant Weeks to get them to sign the articles of incorporation. During February, the new board of directors, Bert Bezzant, Neils Fugal, Joseph Larsen, Clifford Tomlinson, and L.M. Atwood met with the city council. The council turned things over to the new corporation. February 25, 1929 Bert Bezzaut, Ed Hardman, Clarence Newman Joseph Larsen and L.M. Atwood started an audit of the p G Irrigation System books to ascertain ascer-tain the exact amount of water in !thti?fihm;and try t0" hmonize L theK196 schedule as that was the date they began to issue waTeV certificates. After four days President Atwood recorded that he finally got the ZZ WHteH ,t0 harmo" with the 1906 schedule. It took another day to harmonize East Meade within 10 acres. The group could6' make heads or tails of V Meadow due to poor record keep; prior to that time. In January of 1929, the compr was worth just over a quarter million dollars. With 5,020 shares water. The water shares divided into three basic types. Primary shares totalling $ had a par value of $60 per slu' These shares entitled the owner pro rata share of all the water-company water-company owns, less that used East and West Meadow Stock."' usually turns out to be about 9 rf per season. The second category of stock East Meadow Stock. At the tin was issued it had a par value oft The owner of this stock gets J turns starting with the second;' of the season. Glen Bezzant 1 this stock for his strawberries. . The third type of stock is A; into two types: West Meadow A West Meadow B. Type A ownew two turns starting with the see turn. West Meaadow B owners entitled to use the company for drainage purposes. 1Je , shares of West Meadow had value of $10 57 years ago. Today a share of primary could be worth ten times its or-, value. Directors J.H. Harv' Ardie Adams, Jim Bezzant, Fugal and Reif Wadley presi a very complex system that ; water from the slopes panogos to your corn, s1 carrots, hay, fruit trees, etc. ( Thanks to men like Gran wood's and Marvel Atwood father there is a system to w and bring water to your n0D farm. is: . Do you want to know W biggest stockholder in ttie pany? You are. Through the Pleasant Grove, you are biggest stock holder. Feeling ( richer? Good for you! TWj Danv stock is worth over $2 m |