Sevier County Drainage District #4 records

Sevier County Drainage District #4 records, 1918-1940

Overview of the Collection

Creator: Sevier County Drainage District no. 4 (Utah)
Title: Sevier County Drainage District #4 records
Dates: 1918-1940 (inclusive)
19181940
Quantity: 4 boxes, (1 linear foot)
Collection Number: UUS_COLL MSS 235
Summary: The collection is composed of two boxes of correspondence and two boxes of general files for the district.
Repository: Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library, Special Collections and Archives Division
Special Collections & Archives
Merrill-Cazier Library
Utah State University
Logan, UT
84322-3000
Telephone: 4357978248
Fax: 4357972880
scweb@usu.edu
Access Restrictions: No restrictions on use, except: not available through interlibrary loan.
Languages: English

Historical NoteReturn to Top

A drainage district is a quasi-public agency with legal authority over the finance, design, installation, operation and maintenance of drains for drainage of farm lands. Under drainage district law, land ownership within the district is required for membership and participation in district activities. A majority of land owners in a given area must agree to the formation of a drainage district before the district can be formed. District taxation creates capital finances through the issue and sale of district bonds for drain installation and maintenance.

A board of three supervisors constitute the governing body of a drainage district. Supervisors are appointed by county commissioners, after nomination by landowners at an annual meeting or by a petition signed by landowners. A president, secretary and treasurer are elected by the district supervisor. In some cases, the offices of secretary and treasurer are filled by a single individual. According to the original petition papers for February and March of 1918, the original board of supervisors for Drainage District #4 were: George T. Holdaway (president), Alva Curtis (secretary) and Edwin Sorensen (treasurer), but in a document dated September 3, 1918, Alva Curtis resigned his position to work for the United States Government in a military occupation and Willard Richard Johnson Jr. was sworn in his place. Johnson served as secretary from 1918 until 1940, and was one of the original petitioners for Sevier Country Drainage District #4.

Drainage districts were first formed in Utah in the early 1900s as a reaction to the rising water table in several Utah counties. As the state's population grew, waterlogged land required reclamation for expanding agricultural practices and arid regions needed water for irrigation. Sevier County Drainage District #4 was established in 1918 and covered the general location of south east Aurora, about 1,000 acres, in central Utah. The contract for drain construction was made between Brown & Kleinschmidt, Drainage Engineers of Salt Lake City, and the Board of Supervisors, Sevier County Drainage District, on June 14, 1918. Like many drainage districts in Utah, District #4 occasionally suffered from poor management. Annual reports were not always submitted to the county commissioners and taxes were not always paid. In 1932, this latter problem led to the court case Sevier County Drainage District #4 vs. State of Utah and the State Land Board. Lack of technical expertise formed the main management dilemma of many district managers. Engineers constructed and over saw the implementation of drains, but once the groundwork was laid, drains were often neglected and subsequently clogged or damaged. During dry years in the 1920s and 1930s, some farmers in Sevier County opposed drainage of their land and deliberately clogged drains with soil, straw, manure and burlap, to raise the ground water level.

Content DescriptionReturn to Top

The records of the Sevier County Drainage District #4 are contained in four boxes. The collection is composed of two boxes of correspondence and two boxes of general files for the district. The general files contain financial records from 1918-1940, as well as minutes from meetings, legal proceedings, and the original petition to organize the Sevier County District #4. The correspondence files are mainly letters to Willard Richard Johnson Jr., secretary of the Sevier County district from its creation in 1918 until 1940. also, included are letters from 1918-1928 addressed to the treasurer, Edwin Sorenson.

Use of the CollectionReturn to Top

Restrictions on Use

It is the responsibility of the researcher to obtain any necessary copyright clearances.

Permission to publish material from the Sevier County Drainage District #4 Records must be obtained from the Special Collections Manuscript Curator and/or the Special Collections Department Head.

Preferred Citation

Initial Citation: Sevier County Drainage District #4 Records USU_COLL MSS 235, Box [ ]. Special Collections and Archives. Utah State University Merrill-Cazier Library. Logan, Utah.

Following Citations:USU_COLL MSS 235, USUSCA.

Administrative InformationReturn to Top

Arrangement

The collection is arranged in alphabetical order.

Processing Note

Processed in May of 1998

Acquisition Information

The papers in this collection were donated to Utah State University Special Collections and Archives by Utah State Archivist Jeff Johnson on May 7, 1997.

Custodial History

The papers in this collection were kept by Willard Richard Johnson, Jr., who served as secretary for Sevier County Drainage District #4 from 1918 to 1940. Johnson died in 1948 and his wife, Georgianna Cropper Johnson died in 1977 leaving his desk to their grandson Bradley Thomas Johnson. When Bradley was cleaning out the desk he found the papers for Sevier County Drainage District #4 and gave them to his brother Utah State Archivist Jeff Johnson.

Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top

General Files, 1918-1937Return to Top

2 boxes, 37 folders

Container(s)		Description	Dates
		A - C	1918-1932
Box	Folder
1	1	Article XV, list of stockholders, their residence, shares, paid and unpaid portions	undated
1	2	Audit accounts of county treasurer's office	undated
1	3	Auditor's tax deed	1927 May 28
1	4	Aurora townsite – statistics on members	undated
1	5	Bank statements with cancelled checks – First State Bank of Salina	1918-1920
1	6	Bank statements with cancelled checks – First State Bank of Salina	1922-1924
1	7	Bank statements with cancelled checks – First State Bank of Salina	1925-1926
1	8	Bank statements with cancelled checks – First State Bank of Salina	1927-1929
1	9	Blank check receipt book	undated
1	10	Bonds, $500	undated
1	11	Cancelled checks, First State Bank of Salina	1919-1923
1	12	Chase National Bank receipts of cancelled coupons	1919-1931
1	13	Contract between Brown & Kleinschmidt, Drainage Engineers of Salt Lake City, and the Board of Supervisors of the Sevier County Drainage District #4	1918 June 14
1	14	Court case, Sevier County Drainage District #4 v. State of Utah and the State Land Board	1932 June 2
		D - T	1918-1934
Box	Folder
2	1	Drainage district general maps	1919 June 1
2	2	Financial records	1919-1931
2	3	Fiscal report of Drainage District #4	1930 -1931
2	4	Hours worked by employees	undated
2	5	Interest coupons	undated
2	6	Legal notices	1918-1937
2	7	Levying assessment	1918
2	8	List of voters-owners	1919 August 8
2	9	Meeting minutes	1918-1940
2	10	Minutes for meeting of Board of Supervisors	1937 December 21
2	11	Monthly estimates	1919 January - May
2	12	Petition to become Sevier County Drainage District #4	1918 February
2	13	Receipts, First State Bank of Salina	1919-1929
2	14	Receipts from Salt Lake Tribune Publishing Company, Marine National Bank, The Sevier Valley Call, State Bank of Sevier, W.R. Johnson, and John Arneson Lumber Company	1918-1928
2	15	Reconstruction finance corporation, government document	1934 August
2	16	Resolutions made in board meetings	1918-1940
2	17	The Salina Sun receipt	undated
2	18	Salt Lake Tribune proof of publication	1918 May 12
2	19	Savings bank book, First State Bank of Salina	1924 June 12
2	20	Seventy-second Congress, H.R. 4650 – To provide relief of farmers in any state by the making of loans to drainage districts	undated
2	21	Statement of Warrants issued to Treasurer, Assessor, Their Deputies and Assistants, for services rendered	1925 June 1 - 1926 June 1
2	22	Treasurer's payment receipt book	undated
2	23	Treasurer's payment receipts	undated

Correspondence, 1918-1940Return to Top

2 boxes, 22 folders

Container(s)		Description	Dates
		1918-1931	undated
Box	Folder
3	1	Correspondence	1918
3	2	Correspondence	1919
3	3	Correspondence	1920
3	4	Correspondence	1921
3	5	Correspondence	1922
3	6	Correspondence	1923
3	7	Correspondence	1924
3	8	Correspondence	1925
3	9	Correspondence	1926
3	10	Correspondence	1927
3	11	Correspondence	1928
3	12	Correspondence	1930
3	13	Correspondence	1931
		Untitled	1932-1940
Box	Folder
4	1	Correspondence	1932
4	2	Correspondence	1933
4	3	Correspondence	1934
4	4	Correspondence	1935
4	5	Correspondence	1936
4	6	Correspondence	1937
4	7	Correspondence	1938
4	8	Correspondence	1939
4	9	Correspondence	1940

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

Agriculture--Utah--Sevier County.
Drainage--Utah--Sevier County.

Personal Names

Johnson, Willard Richard--Correspondence.
Sorenson, Edwin--Correspondence.

Corporate Names

Sevier County Drainage District no. 4 (Utah)

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