Twin Lakes Canal Company (Idaho)

The Twin Lakes Canal Company was started in February of 1901 by a group of Poverty Flat farmers in southeast Idaho. In 1902 they organized the Oneida Canal Company Limited, which later became the Oneida Irrigation District. In 1920 another reorganization occurred creating the Twin Lakes Canal Company (which is still in operation). The canal covers thirty miles from Mink Creek across northern Cache Valley. It irrigates 13,000 acres near the towns of Weston, Clifton, Dayton, and Linrose in Franklin County, Idaho. Alfalfa is the main crop grown, but other grains, pasture and (until 1981) sugar beets have also been important. The Company has experienced its share of financial problems over the years. This has led to deteriorating equipment and irrigation works. Concerns of washout, drought, and adverse environmental impact have also remained a constant. Yet the canal is truly an oasis necessary for the livelihoods of many farmers and residents of the dry west side of Cache Valley, helping the region remain a strong agricultural center for the state of Idaho.

From the guide to the Twin Lakes Canal Company photograph collection, 1917-1990, (Utah State University. Special Collections and Archives)

In 1901 a group of Poverty Flat, Idaho, farmers founded the Oneida Canal Company Ltd. to provide water for local agriculture. Within a year the company reorganized and became the Oneida Irrigation District. In 1920 the company underwent a second reorganization into the Twin Lakes Canal Company. The company's canal provides water from Mink Creek Canyon to roughly 13,000 acres near present day Weston, Clifton, and Dayton in Franklin County, Idaho.

From the description of Twin Lakes Canal Company papers, 1880-1992. (Utah State University). WorldCat record id: 76932186

The Twin Lakes Canal Company was started in February of 1901 by a group of Poverty Flat farmers in southeast Idaho. In 1902 they organized the Oneida Canal Company Limited, which later became the Oneida Irrigation District. In 1920 another reorganization occurred creating the Twin Lakes Canal Company (which is still in operation). The canal covers thirty miles from Mink Creek across northern Cache Valley. It irrigates 13,000 acres near the towns of Weston, Clifton, Dayton, and Linrose in Franklin County, Idaho.

From the description of Twin Lakes Canal Company photography collection, 1917-1990. (Utah State University). WorldCat record id: 51514349

In February 1901, a group of Poverty Flat, Idaho farmers met and pledged to build a canal system to improve local agriculture. Through the efforts of these farmers a local organization named the Oneida Canal Company Limited emerged, but within a year it underwent a reorganization which resulted in the Oneida Irrigation District (OID). In 1920, the internal workings of the company underwent a second reorganization and the it was subsequently know at the Twin Lakes Canal Company (TLCC). Over the course of the company's history management passed from the hands of the local founding farmers to officers that transformed the company into a major organization.

After the canal company was organized work began on a canal that aimed pull water from Mink Creek Canyon and direct it to the area near present day Weston, Clifton, and Dayton in Franklin County, Idaho. The construction of this canal eventually transformed the area's agricultural systems by providing roughly 13,000 acres of dry land with irrigated water. Internal bickering and bitterness, however, mar much of company's early history. In 1908, allegations of mishandling district funds were leveled against A. D. Henderson (the first president of the canal company), A. W. Hart (secretary), and George C. Parkinson (treasurer). Litigation dragged on for five years until Judge Henry Rolapp and auditor Orson P. Rumel cleared all three men of the charges.

Due to dissension and mismanagement of the canal district, it fell into financial difficulties and canal construction lagged due to the lack of funds. In 1916 the Amalgamated Sugar Company bought interest in the irrigation district in hopes of improving beet production. The Amalgamated Sugar Company assumed the debts of the canal company and for a short time the company was know as the Oneida District of the Amalgamated Sugar Company. Although years behind schedule, the canal was finished largely because of the Amalgamated Sugar Company's money. While the sugar company continued to own a substantial percentage of the canal company's stock, it's control only lasted until the 1920s, where after ownership passed back to the TLCC. However, from the completion of the canal to the present, the TLCC has functioned to aid southern Idaho's agricultural economy.

From the guide to the Twin Lakes Canal Company Papers, 1880-1992, (Utah State University.)