American Falls Canal and Power Company papers
Scope and Contents
The papers of American Falls Canal & Power Company provides information about the development of large-scale irrigation projects on the Snake River in southeastern Idaho. This four box collection consists of legal documentation, stock receipts, correspondence, and financial records pertaining to various irrigation projects in southern Idaho. In addition, boxes 3 and 4 contain the papers from numerous organizations affiliated with the American Falls Canal & Power Company.
Dates
- 1894-1923
Language of Materials
Collection materials are in English.
Restrictions
Open to public research.
Copyright
It is the responsibility of the user to obtain permission to publish from the owner of the copyright (the institution, the creator of the record, the author or his/her transferees, heirs, legates, or literary executors). The user agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the Utah State University Libraries, its officers, employees, and agents from and against all claims made by any person asserting that he or she is an owner of copyright.
Permission to publish material from the American Falls Canal and Power Company papers must be obtained from the Special Collections Manuscript Curator and/or the Special Collections Department Head.
Historical Note
The American Falls Canal & Power Company was formed in Salt Lake City, Utah, in 1896, to take advantage of government land made available by the passage of the Carey Land Act in 1892 and by the subsequent passage of the Idaho Irrigation District Law in 1895. These laws allowed individuals to purchase land at 15 cents per acre with the stipulation that they had irrigation water available. The American Falls Canal & Power Company contracted with the state of Idaho to provide irrigation water at the rate of $15 dollars per share in the Blackfoot, Idaho area. To build this canal it was originally estimated that the cost would run about $325,000 dollars. The funding for this project came from the Utah Mortgage & Loan Company, of Logan, Utah.
With the development of irrigation canals in the Blackfoot area it became profitable to establish other canal and land companies to work hand-in-hand with the American Falls Canal & Power Company (six of these companies were from Utah). The American Falls Canal & Power Company operated for 18 years until February 27, 1914, when the company filed for bankruptcy.
Extent
4 boxes (3.5 linear ft.)
Abstract
Correspondence, legal documents, and reports relating to the American Falls Canal and Power Co. and six affiliated canal and land companies, including the Aberdeen Townsite Investment Company; Aberdeen-Springfield Co.; American Falls Canal Securities Co.; Evans, Curtis, and Sweet Co.; Idaho Irrigated Lands Co.; and the Utah Mortgage and Loan Co.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
The papers of the American Falls Canal & Power Company were donated in 1991 in conjunction with the Utah Mortgage & Loan Corporation Records (Mss Collection 131), by George Herbert Champ and his two siblings, Mary Knox Champ Nielsen, and Frederick Winton Champ.
- Title
- Guide to the American Falls Canal and Power Company papers 1894-1923
- Author
- Finding aid created by the Special Collections Department at Utah State University
- Date
- ©2008
- Description rules
- Finding Aid Based On Dacs (Describing Archives: A Content Standard, 2nd Edition)
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
- Language of description note
- Finding guide is in English in Latin script.
- Sponsor
- Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) grant, 2007-2008
Revision Statements
- July 25, 2008.: Template information was updated to reflect Utah Manuscript Association best practices.
- 2009: Template information was updated to reflect Archives West best practice guidelines.
Repository Details
Part of the Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library, Special Collections & Archives Repository
Merrill-Cazier Library
Utah State University
3000 Old Main Hill
Logan Utah 84322-3000 United States
435 797-8248
435 797-2880 (Fax)
scweb@usu.edu