Lably
Skip to content

Provo Canyon

  • 11 min read
  • 5 chapters

Related on Lably

Through New Deal

Through forces of erosion, the Provo River has carved out the canyon over time. Attractions in Provo Canyon include Vivian Park, Sundance, and Bridal Veil Falls. The canyon is known for both its natural attractions and practical uses. Deer Creek Reservoir serves as water storage for Salt Lake and Utah Valleys. Provo Canyon has served as a route of transportation between the valleys to the east and west of the Wasatch mountain range. The Heber Valley Historic Railroad operates passenger trains through the canyon. U.S. route 189 connects Provo and Orem with Heber City to the east. In early settlement, this route facilitated the settlement of communities to the east of the Wasatch Mountains.

History

Early Settlement (1849-1858)

Soon after permanently settling in the Salt Lake Valley, President Brigham Young of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints began to send colonizing parties throughout the nearby regions. In 1849, Brigham Young sent a group of settlers to Utah Valley to colonize what is modern-day Provo, Utah. The group consisted of about 30 different families and 150 settlers in total. The land was attractive to these settlers for its abundance of fresh water. The Timpanogos Utes of the region were known as “fish-eaters” denoting a degree of abundance in that particular food source. Upon arrival, the party was immediately confronted by a Timpanogos Ute near the Provo River at the mouth of Provo Canyon. The Native American demanded that the settlers return to where they came from and warned them of conflict if they were to stay. The settlers quickly built fortifications and were soon able to obtain permission from the Timpanogos chief to remain in the valley.

The Timpanogos Utes resided in both Utah Valley and the Uinta Basin; therefore, Provo Canyon provided an essential connection so that these Native Americans could communicate and interact more effectively amongst themselves. The Mormon settlers saw the Provo Canyon as a feasible route for expansion into the valleys beyond the Wasatch Mountains. On January 19, 1855, The Provo Road company was established with the purpose of constructing a road that ran through Provo Canyon. By July 1858 the road reached Kamas City, UT (then known as Kamas Prairie).

Civil Construction in Provo Canyon (1890-1941)

After the Utah Valley settlers claimed Provo Canyon by building a road through it, the canyon soon became home to residential communities and a string of public works projects.

Throughout the latter years of the 19th century, many individuals attempted to harvest the Provo River's current into electricity. However, their results were inconsistent due to the river's instability. Successfully constructing a hydroelectric project requires a lot of careful speculation and preparation. In 1899 the Telluride Power Company constructed and successfully operated Nunn's Station. Nunn's Station was the first 40,000 Volt hydroelectric producer in the world, making long-distance high voltage transmission possible. The meticulous planning that went into the construction of Nunn's Station provided jobs and economic growth throughout the surrounding communities. The plant was quickly purchased from Telluride by the Utah Power and Light Company and the station remained in operation until 1940. The area that once was Nunn's Station is currently dedicated to a campground known as Nunn's Park. During the Great Depression, President Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal policies greatly impacted the inhabitants of Provo Canyon and Utah Valley. This "New Deal" consisted of a set of political-economic institutions that were established with the purpose of regulating the United States economy during the Great Depression. Public construction throughout the nation had mostly disappeared due to the poor economic climate. The Public Works Administration was a New Deal institution that was created to combat the lack of civil construction in the Great Depression economy. After the Public Works Administration was established in June 1933, residents in the Utah Valley region began to request that a dam and reservoir be constructed on the Provo River in order to create jobs and facilitate agriculture.

Deer Creek Reservoir was constructed southwest of Heber City, Utah on the Wasatch side of Provo Canyon. When filled to capacity, the reservoir stretches seven miles long and three-quarters mile wide with an area of 150,000 acre feet and a maximum depth of 120 feet. The main water supply for Deer Creek Reservoir is the Provo River, whose headwaters lie in the Uinta Mountains. The water stored by the reservoir is used both domestically and for irrigation by both the Salt Lake and Utah Valleys. By its completion in 1941, Deer Creek Reservoir became the first large man-made reservoir in the state of Utah with a primary purpose of providing culinary water.

Sign in to keep reading

4 more chapters are free with a Lably account.

More in Earth science

Climate changeHuman-caused changes to climate on EarthKöppen climate classificationClimate classification systemIndian subcontinentPhysiographical region in South AsiaLimestoneType of sedimentary rockTropical cycloneRapidly rotating storm systemPleistoceneFirst epoch of the Quaternary Period