Audio
Lowell J. Mecham
Transcript
May the 24th, 1935 is when I was born. And that was in Oak City, but we did live here in Tropic and I’ve lived here all my life. My great grandfather came here from northern Utah and it was told that he stopped his wagon, down in, probably just before Cannonville, and he took his lines and tied them and looked it over and wept, “What have I done coming to a place like this?” But he settled in Cannonville and had, what, nine or ten in their family. He died relatively young. My
great grandmother took over the family and raised them the best she could. My grandfather started herding sheep in what we call the lower country, which would be the Rock Springs, Paria Creek area; so, we’ve been here all my life. And then I also have on my dad’s side, his grandfather Hatch. They were some of the shakers and movers of the area. And there was A.J. Hansen that moved in and he was Tropic’s first bishop. But when they all settled in Cannonville they noted that there wasn’t enough farmland and there wasn’t enough water. So, the drainage of this area is the Colorado River drainage and then you go up to the park and on the west is the Great Basin and these people needed the water. So, through A.J. Hansen and others, they went up near the Tropic reservoir, presently, and they started and built, what, a nine, ten, twelve-mile canal so were able to divert water from the Great Basin over into the Colorado. And that’s what made it possible for people to stay here. That was the lifeline to the community.
Description
Who Came Later Museum Exhibit
Date Created
07/10/2024
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