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Show "Plans to extend canals from the Jordan River through the dry western two-thirds of the Salt Lake Valley circulated as early as 1860. But those early ventures were stymied by inadequate financing and technical obstacles. In 1872, however, Salt Lake County began an eight-year, $70,000 investment in a series of canals to funnel water to the barren lands. A dam was built at Jordan Narrows, which was near the river s outlet from Utah Lake and high enough to flow the length of the valley. The North Jordan Canal, whose original channel was dug in the 1850s to supply water to Archibald Gardner s mill in West Jordan, was extended into Granger in 1877 along the first lakebed terrace above the river bottoms. The South Jordan Canal was excavated between 1870 and 1875 on the second terrace, and the Utah and Salt Lake Canal snaked its way 32 miles across a third terrace, delivering Hunter its first water in 1881" (Gorrell 1993:2-3). As the various canals provided water to the dry areas west of the river, agricultural production increased significantly, and allowed the further expansion of population into the region (poll et al. 1989). Wheat, com, oats, and limited amounts of rye were the most common crops, similar to the agricultural practices throughout the entire valley. As agriculture increased and population grew in the West Jordan area, industry also grew in importance. Following the discovery of rich ore bodies in Bingham canyon, smelters were also constructed in West Jordan, similar to those built in Murray City. Again, the high cost of transporting the ores to the smelters by ox-team led to the construction of the Bingham Canyon and Camp Floyd Railroad, built in 1872. (Robertson 1986). The railroad was originally built using both narrow and standard gauge rails, in order to first move ore from the mine to the smelters, and then the processed ore to the junction with the Utah Southern Railroad near Sandy (Signor 1988). Construction 0 f t he railroad 1ines brought the transportation costs for Bingham Canyon ore down from $89 per ton to $1.25 per ton (poll et al. 1989). Unfortunately, the smelters at Murray and Midvale were much more conveniently located for processing, so the smelting operations in West Jordan were relatively short-lived, with the last functioning smelter closing down in 1882 (poll et al. 1989). Other industries flourished for a short time in West Jordan, as grist mills, a tannery, and a broom and mattress factory were built in the area before 1900. During the beginning of the 20th century, however, "sugar beets became and important crop and a sugar beet factory was built in West Jordan in 1916, the same year the town was first electrified" (polk 1991:8). The factory operated until the late 1970s, when the lower processing costs for cane sugar forced it to close. Overall, however, "agriculture remained as the main economic activity of ... West Jordan during the 19th and into the 20 th century" (Polk 1991:8). Redwood Road, the main arterial road running along much of the west side of the Salt Lake Valley, made possible other small industrial and service investments. The road was originally laid out in 1853, and extended from North Temple down to 21 st south, but has since been greatly extended. Since West Jordan and the other towns west of the river were built along the road, the movement of both goods and services was simplified, encouraging the growth of commerce in the area. Although West Jordan was affected similarly to Murray City during the Depression, losing much of its economic base, federal employment projects such as road-building, wool mills, and other civic upgrades assisted the community to weather a greater than 30% unemployment rate. Following the outbreak of World War II, and returning economic prosperity, the population of West Jordan again boomed, mostly due to its proximity to Salt Lake City as a bedroom community. 26 |
