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PARLEY'S HOLLOW

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  TABLE OF CONTENTS  See  ILLUSTRATIONS & PICTURES    INDEX 

Water Mill.      Click photo for full image

   It was soon determined that a water commission should be formed to govern the use and supply of the water in Parley’s Creek and other Creeks. The use of the water from Parley’s Creek was divided up into shares of Primary Rights and Secondary Rights. There were seven ditches with Primary Rights. They were: The Decker Ditch, which had the highest rights. It was taken out just below Suicide Rock and provided water for 33 acres of bench land. The Kennedy Ditch was the largest of the primary rights ditches. It supplied water for 864 acres and was taken out near Seventeenth East and flowed westward along the north hillside of the hollow until it came to Thirteenth East and there it made a turn and ran directly to Ninth South. The Rockwood Ditch was the next ditch, being taken out between the Kennedy and the County Road which ran along Eleventh East. It watered 76 Acres. The South Saunders Ditch ditch was taken out just east of the County Road (Highland Drive) and watered 232 acres in the Sugar House area.
    The North Saunders Ditch was taken out just west of Sugar House and watered 440 acres. The Sperry Ditch was taken out between 18th and 19th South on Seventh East and watered 263 acres. The Turnbow Ditch was taken out at about Sixth East and Eighteenth South and watered 547 acres. The rest of the Primary Rights shares went to two woolen mills in the mouth of the canyon and their allowance was 19 acres. The last was the Sugar Mill Ditch with an allowance of 5 acres.
    Each of these ditches served the farms in the Five Acre Plat extending from Twenty First South, North to Ninth South and from Thirteenth East to the Jordan River. They also served part of the ten acre plat south of Twenty First South.
    Each farmer had his watering turn for a stated time and number of hours at regular intervals and it was his responsibility to take his watering turn on time, no matter what the hour or the day.
    There were four Secondary ditches and their rights were honored in order of their priority. They could not draw more than seventy-two and a half second feet of water in any one season. The largest of these ditches was the Pleasant View  which was taken out at Suicide Rock. It served about 400 acres of high up farm lands in the area north of Parley’s hollow. It no doubt was the ditch which flowed through the flume running over the beautiful sandstone arch which is still to be seen in the bottom of the hollow on the north side, near the location of the old Dudler’s Saloon and Inn.
    George and Charles Crismon ditches were taken out below the Decker Fort west of Suicide Rock and watered lands south of Parley’s Hollow. Because of the irregular flow of surplus water, George Crismon built a large successful storage reservoir. Charles Crismon started one but didn’t finish it.
    The last of the secondary ditches was the Parley's Canyon Surplus Canal. It was taken out about a half mile above Suicide Rock and flowed southward.
   It soon became apparent that there was not enough water in Parley’s Creek to accommodate the growing population. Changes were made in the ditches and about 1891, Salt Lake City built a reservoir at Suicide Rock and built a low line Parley’s conduit.
    The Pioneers, finding the Emigration Canyon route extremely difficult to traverse, enlisted the help of Parley P. Pratt who subsequently made a road from what was called Dell Fork, down what we now know as Parley’s Canyon and into the Valley.

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Young-Little Mill stood in the hollow about 20th East.   Click photo for full image

   In 1847 Mr. Pratt explored the Big Kanyon with the idea of building a road around a large outcropping of sandstone rock which loomed in the mouth of the Canyon. In his autobiography on p. 407, for March 18, 1848, he said,

"I devoted the forepart of the summer to farming, but my crop failing, I commenced in July to work a road up the rugged Kanyon of Big Kanyon Creek. I had the previous year explored the Kanyon for that purpose, in a more southerly and less rugged route than the pioneer’s entrance into the valley."

Road construction began soon after the first pioneers arrived in the valley. Mr. Pratt discovered that although this way was a little longer, it was also less rugged. They found, too, the lush high meadows and timber lands further up the canyon.
    During construction in the first summer of 1849, the road was finished enough to bring out a good supply of timber and fuel. Parley Pratt said, 

"I have so far completed my road as to be able to obtain a large amount of fuel and timber. In November I ceased operations in the Kanyon and broke up my mountain camp and returned to the city."

The following summer, Mr. Pratt, with the help of some other men, was able to complete the road so that a big celebration was held on July 4th, 1850, heralding the opening of the "Golden Pass" road. It was not a fine finished highway such as we see today, but it far surpassed the route down Emigration Canyon. The explorer, Stansbury, wrote in his journal,

"Followed up Pratt’s golden pass all day. The ascent is not as steep as I expected, although the road is very crooked. The valley is very narrow, scarcely affording room for a turbulent little mountain stream which comes rushing down and winds its sinuous course at the base of the mountains."

This road became known as the Golden Pass Road, and subsequently the canyon and creek became known as Parley’s Canyon and Parley’s Creek.

Brigham Young apparently deeded the canyon to Mr. Pratt after taking City Creek Canyon as part of his own estate and deeding Big Cottonwood Canyon to Joseph Young and what is now known as Neff’s Canyon to Neff, Isaac Neff.
    To help pay the cost of building the road, a toll gate was erected just west of the mouth of the canyon on the north side of the creek and road. The following is an advertisement from Volume 1 of the Deseret News on June 29, 1850.
    "Travelers between the States and California are respectfully informed that a new road will be opened on and after the fourth of July between the Weber River and Great Salt Lake Valley—a distance of about forty miles; avoiding the two great mountains and most of the canyons, so troublesome on the old route.
    "The road is somewhat rough and unfinished, but is being made better every day. Several thousand dollars are already expended by the proprietor, who only solicits the patronage of the public at the moderate price of–50 cents per conveyance drawn by one animal, 75 cents per conveyance drawn by two animals. 10 cents per each additional draught, pack or saddle animal. 5 cents per head for loose stock. 1 cent per head for sheep.
    The foregoing prices will average about one dollar per wagon.
    This route lies up the valley of the Weber River some 15 or 18 miles, open, smooth, and grassy; thence, through a dry hollow and over an abrupt range of hills, some 3 miles; thence through well watered, grassy, and beautiful plains and meadows and table lands of pine, fir, and aspen forests to the summit of a mountain thence 6 miles down a gradual descent of table land to the head of the great canyon; thence through a rough road with grass and fuel abundant, 6 miles to the valley; entering which thousands of acres of fresh feed cover the table lands at the foot of the hills and the mountains; where teams can recruit, while all the principal flouring mills are in the vicinity.
    If a road worked by the most persevering industry, as open country, good feed and fuel, beautifully romantic and sublime scenery is any inducement, take the new road, and thus encourage public improvement."

G.S.L. City, June 22, 1850, Pratt, Parley P. Pratt, Proprietor.

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Utah Central Train.   Click photo for full image

   The Newark Rangers  of Kendall County, Illinois, were listed as the first company to follow Pratt through the pass, which opened a new road through the mountains from the Weber River to the Great Salt Lake Valley.
    This made available a new route where incoming travelers (whether in wagons, on horseback, the Pony Express riders, handcarts, or stage coach) might safely make their way into the valley. Eventually it became part of the great Lincoln Highway and then much later, I-80 followed the route toward the east from the mouth of the canyon to the turnoff for East Canyon.
    After Mr. Pratt decided to divest himself of the toll gate, it was sold to William Hubbard Winterton. He is listed as the toll-gate keeper. At some time, either while Mr. Pratt owned the toll-gate or later, Mr. Mantle, Llewellyn Mantle ran it for a time.
    It is interesting to note some of the descriptions taken from the various travelers who used this route.  Mary Ann Maughan, whose party traveled this new road during August 1850, recorded:
    "We traveled the most dreadful road imaginable. Some places we had to make the road before we could pass. It is full of large rocks and stumps."

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TABLE OF CONTENTS 

Entering The Valley,   Parley's Hollow,   Parley's Creek,   The Golden Pass Road,   Left Hand Road,   Industry in the Hollow and Sugar House,   Mills,   Wool Carding,   Woolen Factory,   Cotton Factory,   Wasatch Woolen Mill,   Ice House, A Photographic Journey Through Parley's Hollow,   Sugar Mill, School Houses,   The Railroad and Coal Industry,   First Territorial Prison,   Stage Coach,   The Pony Express,   The Tanning Business,   Adobe Brick Manufacturing,   Paper Mill, Dudler's Inn,   Early Families,   Suicide Rock,  Bucket-Churn-Tub-Barrel Factory,   Nail Factory,   Match Factory,   Glass and Button Factory,   Silk Industry,   Stillman Bridge,   Portland Cement Company,   Gibbons and Reed Construction Company,   Swimming Pool and Recreation Area,   Country Club Golf Course,   Memories,   Parley's Historic Park, Parley's Hollow Today,   Centennial Bike and Hiking Trail,   Pioneer Recipes,   Plants at Parley's Nature & Historic Park, Birds Seen in Park,   Bibliography, Index.

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