McCornick, Utah
Encyclopedia
McCornick is a ghost town
located in Millard County
, Utah
, United States
. Lying in Whiskey Creek Flat 11 miles (17.7 km) northwest of Holden
, McCornick was a failed land development project that lasted from 1919 until around 1930.
Land and Water Company, after successfully promoting development in the Lynndyl
area, expanded its water project southward. The company built an aqueduct
from Leamington
along the foothills of the Canyon Mountains to irrigate
vast tracts of potentially fertile farmland. Boosters
began to draw prospective settlers with sophisticated advertising and high-pressure sales pitches. Salesmen emphasized the conveniences of farming so close to Delta
, with its large sugar refinery
and the main line
of the Union Pacific Railroad
. They also spoke glowingly of the water supply, which was at the highest level the region had seen in years.
A number of families and bachelors arrived and began farming in early 1919. In May 1919, the canal broke, flooding the farms of about 15 families who had made their homes near the mouth of Whiskey Creek. Despite the damage, the plentiful water produced excellent harvests for most of the farmers that year, enabling them to build some 40 good, permanent homes.
The next year the canal broke a second time, and some families moved away completely, but reports of the settlement's success continued to bring new settlers. In 1920 it began to take shape as a real town. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints built a chapel and organized a ward with 83 member families. A small post office
was established, and the town was named for William McCornick, a Salt Lake City banker and corporate promoter
of the Sevier Land and Water Company. A schoolhouse and a general store
were built. McCornick's population reached its peak of about 500 in 1921.
s. McCornick had been heavily over-promoted and supplied with sorely inadequate irrigation water. Developers had promised the ability to irrigate 200000 acres (80,937.2 ha), but in 1922 found they couldn't provide enough water for even 1000 acres (404.7 ha). In fact the wet years around 1917–1921 had been an anomaly; the region was reverting to its normal desert
state. In 1923 there were only 50 families left in town. By 1926 the Sevier River Land and Water Company was bankrupt, sold off to a California
company, and reorganized as the Central Utah Water Company. The reorganization did nothing to keep the settlers, who continued to move away. By 1929 there were only four or five families left.
McCornick recorded a total of 95 births and 10 deaths in its brief existence. Many of its buildings were moved to other towns; the schoolhouse was taken to Flowell in 1930. Two or three of the old houses still stand, and the land is used mostly for pasture
and hay
.
Ghost town
A ghost town is an abandoned town or city. A town often becomes a ghost town because the economic activity that supported it has failed, or due to natural or human-caused disasters such as floods, government actions, uncontrolled lawlessness, war, or nuclear disasters...
located in Millard County
Millard County, Utah
Millard County is a county located in the U.S. state of Utah. In 2010, its population was 12,420. It was named for Millard Fillmore, thirteenth President of the United States. Its county seat is Fillmore and the largest city is Delta.-Geography:...
, Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Lying in Whiskey Creek Flat 11 miles (17.7 km) northwest of Holden
Holden, Utah
Holden is a town in Millard County, Utah, United States. The population was 400 at the 2000 census.-History:Holden was settled in 1855 by a group of ten families sent out by the LDS bishop of Fillmore. It was named for Elijah E...
, McCornick was a failed land development project that lasted from 1919 until around 1930.
History
In 1918, the Sevier RiverSevier River
The Sevier River , extending , is the longest Utah river entirely in the state and drains an extended chain of mountain farming valleys to the intermittent Sevier Lake...
Land and Water Company, after successfully promoting development in the Lynndyl
Lynndyl, Utah
Lynndyl is a town in Millard County, Utah, United States. The population was 134 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Lynndyl is located at ....
area, expanded its water project southward. The company built an aqueduct
Aqueduct
An aqueduct is a water supply or navigable channel constructed to convey water. In modern engineering, the term is used for any system of pipes, ditches, canals, tunnels, and other structures used for this purpose....
from Leamington
Leamington, Utah
Leamington is a town in Millard County, Utah, United States. The population was 217 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Leamington is located at ....
along the foothills of the Canyon Mountains to irrigate
Irrigation
Irrigation may be defined as the science of artificial application of water to the land or soil. It is used to assist in the growing of agricultural crops, maintenance of landscapes, and revegetation of disturbed soils in dry areas and during periods of inadequate rainfall...
vast tracts of potentially fertile farmland. Boosters
Boosterism
Boosterism is the act of "boosting," or promoting, one's town, city, or organization, with the goal of improving public perception of it. Boosting can be as simple as "talking up" the entity at a party or as elaborate as establishing a visitors' bureau. It is somewhat associated with American small...
began to draw prospective settlers with sophisticated advertising and high-pressure sales pitches. Salesmen emphasized the conveniences of farming so close to Delta
Delta, Utah
Delta is a city in Millard County, Utah, United States. The population was 3,209 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Delta is located at ....
, with its large sugar refinery
Sugar refinery
A sugar refinery is a factory which refines raw sugar.Many cane sugar mills produce raw sugar, i.e. sugar with more colour and therefore more impurities than the white sugar which is normally consumed in households and used as an ingredient in soft drinks, cookies and so forth...
and the main line
Main line (railway)
The Mainline or Main line of a railway is a track that is used for through trains or is the principal artery of the system from which branch lines, yards, sidings and spurs are connected....
of the Union Pacific Railroad
Union Pacific Railroad
The Union Pacific Railroad , headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska, is the largest railroad network in the United States. James R. Young is president, CEO and Chairman....
. They also spoke glowingly of the water supply, which was at the highest level the region had seen in years.
A number of families and bachelors arrived and began farming in early 1919. In May 1919, the canal broke, flooding the farms of about 15 families who had made their homes near the mouth of Whiskey Creek. Despite the damage, the plentiful water produced excellent harvests for most of the farmers that year, enabling them to build some 40 good, permanent homes.
The next year the canal broke a second time, and some families moved away completely, but reports of the settlement's success continued to bring new settlers. In 1920 it began to take shape as a real town. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints built a chapel and organized a ward with 83 member families. A small post office
Post office
A post office is a facility forming part of a postal system for the posting, receipt, sorting, handling, transmission or delivery of mail.Post offices offer mail-related services such as post office boxes, postage and packaging supplies...
was established, and the town was named for William McCornick, a Salt Lake City banker and corporate promoter
Corporate promoter
A corporate promoter is a person who solicits people to invest money into a corporation, usually when it is being formed. An investment banker, an underwriter, or a stock promoter may, wholly or in part, perform the role of a promoter...
of the Sevier Land and Water Company. A schoolhouse and a general store
General store
A general store, general merchandise store, or village shop is a rural or small town store that carries a general line of merchandise. It carries a broad selection of merchandise, sometimes in a small space, where people from the town and surrounding rural areas come to purchase all their general...
were built. McCornick's population reached its peak of about 500 in 1921.
Decline
The turning point came in the winter of 1921–1922, the driest in many years. There followed a succession of dry years, grasshopper plagues, and dust stormDust storm
A dust / sand storm is a meteorological phenomenon common in arid and semi-arid regions. Dust storms arise when a gust front or other strong wind blows loose sand and dirt from a dry surface. Particles are transported by saltation and suspension, causing soil to move from one place and deposition...
s. McCornick had been heavily over-promoted and supplied with sorely inadequate irrigation water. Developers had promised the ability to irrigate 200000 acres (80,937.2 ha), but in 1922 found they couldn't provide enough water for even 1000 acres (404.7 ha). In fact the wet years around 1917–1921 had been an anomaly; the region was reverting to its normal desert
Desert
A desert is a landscape or region that receives an extremely low amount of precipitation, less than enough to support growth of most plants. Most deserts have an average annual precipitation of less than...
state. In 1923 there were only 50 families left in town. By 1926 the Sevier River Land and Water Company was bankrupt, sold off to a California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
company, and reorganized as the Central Utah Water Company. The reorganization did nothing to keep the settlers, who continued to move away. By 1929 there were only four or five families left.
McCornick recorded a total of 95 births and 10 deaths in its brief existence. Many of its buildings were moved to other towns; the schoolhouse was taken to Flowell in 1930. Two or three of the old houses still stand, and the land is used mostly for pasture
Pasture
Pasture is land used for grazing. Pasture lands in the narrow sense are enclosed tracts of farmland, grazed by domesticated livestock, such as horses, cattle, sheep or swine. The vegetation of tended pasture, forage, consists mainly of grasses, with an interspersion of legumes and other forbs...
and hay
Hay
Hay is grass, legumes or other herbaceous plants that have been cut, dried, and stored for use as animal fodder, particularly for grazing livestock such as cattle, horses, goats, and sheep. Hay is also fed to pets such as rabbits and guinea pigs...
.
External links
- McCornick at Ghost Towns of Utah