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The word "Dixie" to most Americans conjures up visions of fields of cotton or tobacco in Virginia, Alabama or Mississippi. Utah has a "Dixie" too, though it bears scant resemblance to the humid climate and rich deltas of its namesake in the East. Utah's "Dixie" is a land of rich colors, rugged terrain, and arid arroyos where the success of agriculture depends on the availability of water and the wise use of irrigation. The records of the irrigation companies that tell the story of the men and women who struggled to survive in the harsh environment of southern Utah are an important part of the state's historical heritage.
One such history is that of the Springdale Consolidated Irrigation Company. The community of Springdale is in Washington County near the entrance to Zion National Park. Settled in 1862 on the banks of the North Fork of the Virgin River, the town takes its name from the abundance of springs to be found in its environs. The original settlers were farmers and ranchers who had found the stony land around Rockville ill suited to their needs. In communities like Rockville, Santa Clara, and Springdale the construction of irrigation canals was high on the settlers' list of priorities. Oblique references are made to early irrigation projects, but it is not known if these early canals were the precursors of the Springdale Upper Ditch Company.
The Springdale Upper Ditch Company was originally incorporated 2 January 1906. It was not the only irrigation company in Springdale, and on 3 May 1910 there was a proposal that the company merge with the nearby Springdale Irrigation Company. On 13 June 1910 the proposal for consolidation was approved and the company became known as the Springdale Consolidated Irrigation Company. Apparently the primary purpose of the irrigation company was to provide water for agricultural purposes, specifically the cultivation of barley and other grains as well as corn and hay.
The first President of the Springdale Consolidated Irrigation Company was a member of one of the regions early pioneering families. Oliver D. Gifford was also the largest stockholder in the new company holding forty-eight shares. The Secretary, Thornton Hepworth, held the second largest block of shares. Both of these men were prominent citizens, farmers and ranchers who grazed their cattle in the nearby canyons while raising crops at the same time. The other stockholders in the company did not hold nearly as many shares as Gifford and Hepworth.
It is likely that the Springdale Consolidated Irrigation Company shared the vicissitudes of climate and topography that frayed the nerves of other farmers in Washington County. The floods that came rushing down the Virgin River scouring the valuable topsoil from Springdale's farms were similar to those that rushed down the Santa Clara River to the west. There was also the threat of destruction from the insatiable appetites of insects and always the aridity that drew moisture from the soil more rapidly than it was replenished from the skies.
There are some differences in the history of the Springdale Irrigation Company that makes its story significant. The land near Springdale is different from many parts of Utah's "Dixie" for the land around Zion National Park is not as well suited to irrigation and agriculture as it is to grazing. Small plots could be cultivated and family gardens grown but farming on a grand scale was difficult. Perhaps these were reasons that moved men like John R. Crawford to ply his trade as watchmaker and his brother, William, to build wagons or Samuel K. Gifford to build and sell chairs. These men were farmers and ranchers first and depended on the water of the canal to sustain their crops, but in times of need a second source of income could prove valuable. The early history of the company is dominated by two or three families who held the majority of the stock and occupied important positions on the board for many years.
The Springdale Irrigation Company Collection contains correspondence, financial records, assessment books, and ledgers. The records are in good condition, though the ledgers and minute books show some signs of use. The records are arranged chronologically by type.
The first box contains the original articles of incorporation and correspondence dating from 1951 to 1976. There are two kinds of correspondence in these folders. The first type is addressed to or received from members of the canal company and the majority of letters of that kind address problems connected with the daily management of the ditch. The second kind of correspondence is from agencies or professionals who did not hold stock in the company. There are letters, for example, from the State Engineer, the Water and Power Board and from lawyers representing a specific person or interest.
The second box contains irrigation schedules from 1960 to 1976. The schedules show the time each farmer was allowed to draw his allotment from the river and how much of the river he could claim. Rising in the middle of the night to open the headgates so that water could flow onto the fields was sometimes unpleasant, but those who were "nighthawking" seemed to accept the burden as necessary. The second box of the collection also includes three timebooks that show the amount of time individuals spent on ditch maintenance. The inclusive dates for these records are from 1958 to 1971. In addition, there are miscellaneous financial records of the company dating from 1956 to 1964.
The third box contains the ledgers of the Springdale Irrigation Company that have been arranged alphabetically. There is also a receipt book from 1947-1948 and an assessment book with entries dating from 1947-1959. The last item of the collection is another assessment book that also contains some minutes. The earliest entry is in 1906 and they conclude in 1948.
The significance to researchers of this collection lies in the evidence it gives about how agriculture changed in the twentieth century. The records of irrigation companies created in the nineteenth century are informal in tone. The needs of their environment were similar to those faced by their twentieth century counterparts, but the way they dealt with them was different. In the mid-nineteenth century the society of southern Utah was relatively homogenous. The communities were small in size and did not put undue strain on their limited natural resources. As the population of the area increased, however, so did competition for available water and the old system of adjudicating differences through neighborly conference or consultation with church officials proved inadequate to meet those new pressures.
The records of the older companies rarely make reference to court cases, lawyers, or state regulatory agencies. Water rights were assigned and compromises made on the local level. Those companies were less like modern businesses than their counterparts in the twentieth century. They were more similar to cooperatives while another generation of farmers would find it necessary to rely on structured legal systems to adjudicate their claims. Those changes were not sudden, as the records of the Springdale Irrigation Company show. The earliest minutes of the company have a conversational tone and are not nearly as formal as the correspondence of the mid-twentieth century.
Springdale Irrigation Company Records, 1906-1976, Utah State Historical Society.
Gift of Elsa Ruesch.
The Springdale Irrigation Company Records are the physical property of the Utah Historical Society, Salt Lake City, Utah. Literary rights, including copyright, may belong to the authors or their heirs and assigns. Please contact the Historical Society for information regarding specific use of this collection.