Series 185
Governor Bamberger Water rights and irrigation records, 1919.
0.25 cubic foot and 1 microfilm reel
These records are housed in the Utah State Archives' permanent storage room.
Historical Note
See history of the records' creator.
Summary of Records
Scope and Content
This series consists of correspondence to and from the Governor's Water Rights Commission created under Chapter 37 of the Laws of Utah, 1917; a report for proposed irrigation in Springville and Mapleton, (Strawberry Reservoir Project); and the Dixie Project report, a report proposing irrigation for Hurricane, Utah. These records document Utah's response to the federal Reclamation Program and the solution to providing arable land for soldiers returning from war, a national concern during Bamberger's term and after.
These proposed irrigation projects were spurred by the Federal Reclamation Program of 1902. According to F. Hewell, the first director of the federal Reclamation Service, the purpose of the Act was:
". . . not so much to irrigate the land, as it is to make homes . . . It is not to irrigate the land which now belongs to large corporations, or even to small ones; it is not to make these men wealthy, but it is to bring about a condition whereby that land shall be put into thehands of the small owner, whereby the man with a family can get enough good land to support that family, to become a good citizen, and to have all the comforts and necessities which rightfully belong to an American citizen." (Peter Barnes, "The Great American Land Grab." Reprinted in The Progress Report from a series written for the New Republic 1971-1972.)
Research Note
The law creating the Water Rights Commission was passed in 1917; the members were appointed by the Governor. The membership of the Commission expired on 1, March 1919. It is unknown if additional Water Rights Commission records exist.
Arrangement
Alphabetical by subject, thereunder chronological.
Additional Forms
This series is available on microfilm.
Access Restrictions
This series is classified as Public.
Use Restrictions
These records are available for reproduction and use.
Preferred Citation
Cite the Utah State Archives and Records Service, the creating agency name, the series title, and the series number.
Acquisition Information
These records were acquired from the creating agency through established retention schedules.
Processing Information
This series was processed by Wendy Checketts. These records were removed from the Administrative records because of their completeness of content and subject. The series was microfilmed and the inventory updated in 2002.
Related Material
Administrative records from the Governor Bamberger, Series 183, include scrapbooks which contain newspaper articles about the Soldier Land Settlement and the correspondence also contains information on obtaining irrigable land for the returning soldiers.
Reports from the Governor Mabey, Series 21976, contain information on the Dixie Project.
Container List
| Reel | Box | Folder | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | 1 | Utah Water Rights Commission |
| 1 | 1 | 2 | Petition for Strawberry Reservoir |
| 1 | 1 | 3 | The Dixie Project |
| Reel | Map-case | Folder | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1beginning splice | 7 | 1 | Maps |