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.
Repository:
Utah State University. Special Collections and Archives Manuscript Collection
Merrill-Cazier Library Utah State University 3000 Old Main Hill Logan, UT 84322-3000 Phone: 435 797-2663 Fax: 435 797-2880 Email: scweb@usu.edu
Languages:
Collection materials are in English.
Sponsor:
Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) grant,
2007-2008
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.
Content Description
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.
Use of the Collection
Restrictions on Access : Restrictions
Open to public research.
Restrictions on Use : 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.
Preferred Citation :
American Falls Canal and Power Company papers, 1894-1923. (COLL MSS 109) Utah State
University. Special Collections and Archives Department.
Administrative Information
Acquisition Information :
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.
Detailed Description of the Collection
American Falls Canal & Power Company
origination documents, deeds, and contracts, correspondence, and other
documentation
Folders 8-15 contains engineering reports about the canal's construction. Folders
16-32 contains financial information about the company-trust deeds, agreements,
and financial disclosures.
Container(s)
Description
Dates
Box
Folder
1
1
Contract with the state of Idaho
1901
1
2
Contract with the state of Idaho
1904
1
3
Contract with the state of Idaho
1905
1
4
Opinion on legal right of ways, by Richards and
Haga
1
5
1908 agreement
1
6
Agreement with the Reclamation Service
1908
1
7
Annual report
1908
1
8
Chief engineer's report
1900
1
9
Engineer's report
1905
1
10
Location of canal passage
1894
1
11
Water location documents
1894
1
12
Agreement with Lyman Skeen about contractor
work
1903
1
13
Contract with Lyman Skeen about contractor
work
1905
1
14
List of papers on file with the Idaho State
Engineer's office
1
15
Notes about changes made in the
canal
1
16
Trust deed with Utah Savings and Trust Company
1903
1
17
Contract with the Utah Mortgage and Loan
Company
1905
1
18
Resolution authorizing a $31,000 dollar loan
from the National Bank of the Republic, 1908, and a resolution of the directors
of the Evans, Curtis, and Sweet Company authorizing the guarantee of the above
note
1908
1
19
Trust deed with People Bank & Trust
Company of Illinois, and power of attorney document
1
20
Trust deed with People Bank & Trust
Company
1907
1
21
Trust deed with People Bank & Trust
Company
1908
1
22
Agreement with People Bank & Trust
Company
1908
1
23
Agreement with Salt Lake Commercial Bank
1908
1
24
Trial balance of assets of the American Falls
Canal & Power Company
1905
1
25
Trial balance of assets of the American Falls
Canal & Power Company
1907
1
26
Statement of differed payments of contracts
with the UMLC
1
27
Statement of money received since
September of 1907
1
28
Funds advanced to the canal company by various
stockholders
1911
1
29
Correspondence concerning a second issuance of
bonds for the canal company
American Falls Canal Company papers and papers from
affiliated companies
Box 3: Folders 7-11 relate to the Aberdeen Townsite & Investment Company;
Folders 12-13 relate to the Aberdeen-Springfield Company, 1910; Folders 14-17
relate to the American Falls Canal Securities Company; Folders 18-33 relate to the
Evans, Curtis, and Sweet Company.
Container(s)
Description
Dates
Box
Folder
3
1
Claims against the canal company
1909
3
2-3
Notes due to the canal company
1909
3
4
Irrigation deed releases
1907
3
5
Samples of gold bonds and warranty deeds of the
canal company
3
6
Company advertising brochures
3
7
Aberdeen Townsite & Investment Company
reports, correspondence, and townsite map
1907-1918
3
8-11
Documents concerning the investment company
1909-1911
3
12
Document creating the company
1910
3
13
Stockholders information
3
14
Bond issued in 1918, trust deed and appointment
of UMLC as trustee
3
15
Correspondence
1917
3
16-17
American Falls Canal Securities Company papers
1918-1919
3
18
Articles of incorporation and other company
documents
1903
3
19
Board of directors information
1905-1906
3
20
Report from Albert D. Early, lawyer
3
21
Document regarding a $20,000 dollar loan from
the UMLC
3
22
Bill from the UMLC
3
23
Correspondence concerning the bankruptcy of the
American Falls Canal & Power Company
3
24
Licenses from Idaho, Utah, and Wyoming.
3
25
Certificates of stock owned by EC & SC.
3
26
Stockholder meeting notices for
1907-1912
3
27
Correspondence and contracts - Dawes, Frank and
Hugh
3
28-29
Correspondence and contracts - Forsell, Peter
3
30
Correspondence and contracts - Madsen, Peter
3
31
Correspondence and contracts - Moore, P. R.
3
32-33
Correspondence and contracts - Snow, E.
M
4
1
Idaho Irrigated Lands Company
1900-1910
4
2-3
Peoples Bank & Trust Company
1917
4
4-5
Correspondence concerning the Evans Curtis
& Sweet Company, Aberdeen Investment Company, and the American Falls
Canal & Power Company
4
6-10
Correspondence regarding the Utah Mortgage
& Loan Company
4
11
Document from the Interior Department about the
Jackson Lake Reservoir Project
4
12
Bill from Martineau & Evans Law Firm.
4
13
Contracts with the American Falls Canal
& Power Company due in
