Desert Lake, Utah

Desert Lake is a ghost town in Castle Valley in northern Emery County, Utah, United States. It was inhabited from 1885 to about 1910.[2][3]

Desert Lake, Utah
Ghost town
Desert Lake is located in Utah
Desert Lake
Desert Lake
Location of Desert Lake in Utah
Desert Lake is located in the United States
Desert Lake
Desert Lake
Desert Lake (the United States)
Coordinates: 39°22′24″N 110°46′57″W
CountryUnited States
StateUtah
CountyEmery
Founded1885
Abandoned1910
Elevation
[1]
5,577 ft (1,700 m)

History

In 1885, several families moved from the nearby town of Cleveland to an area they called Desert Lake, and built a 500-foot (150 m) embankment dam to impound a 300-acre (1.2 km2) irrigation reservoir (Desert Lake).[4] In 1896, the dam broke, causing significant damage.[2] The LDS Church provided $1000 to rebuild the dam, and also to extend a ditch southwest to Cleveland.[4]

The 1900 United States Census reported Desert Lake's population at 127.[5] Six years after the Census was taken, in 1906, the Desert Lake area was surveyed. An LDS church, a general store, several frame homes, and a school were constructed. The general store also served as the town's post office.[6]

A problem throughout the valley occurred as farmers irrigated land, which dropped the water table and caused alkali in the soil to rise.[4] The alkaline soil eroded adobe structures and caused many crops to fail.[4] As the alkali in the soil concentrated, the residents of Desert Lake moved about 6 miles (9.7 km) away and founded the town of Victor. A few log homes make up what's left of the town of Desert Lake.[6]

See also

References
  1. U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Desert Lake
  2. Thompson, George A. (1988). Some Dreams Die: Utah's Ghost Towns and Lost Treasures. Salt Lake City: Dream Garden Press. pp. 111–112. ISBN 0-942688-01-5.
  3. Van Cott, John W. (1990). Utah Place Names: A Comprehensive Guide to the Origins of Geographic Names. Salt Lake City: University of Utah Press. p. 108. ISBN 9780874803457. Retrieved March 30, 2019.
  4. Taniguchi, Nancy J. (2004). Castle Valley, America: hard land, hard-won home. Logan, Utah: Utah State University Press. pp. 113. ISBN 0-87421-589-7.
  5. Geary, Edward A. (1996). A History of Emery County. Salt Lake City: Utah State Historical Society. p. 115. ISBN 0-913738-05-0.
  6. Carr, Stephen L. (1986) [1972]. The Historical Guide to Utah Ghost Towns. Salt Lake City: Western Epics. p. 85. ISBN 978-0-914740-30-8.

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