Mosida, Utah
Encyclopedia
Mosida is a ghost town
located on the southwestern shore of Utah Lake
, in Utah County, Utah
, United States. The nearest inhabited town is Elberta
, some 12 miles (19.3 km) to the south. A heavily promoted planned community
in the 1910s, Mosida was ultimately a failure.
s. They named their project Mosida, an acronym formed from the first two letters of each of their surnames. Within months they sold out to a group of promoters from Denver, Colorado
who incorporated
as the Mosida Fruit Lands Company.
The company began to improve the property and advertise to prospective investors and buyers. Since the land west of Utah Lake lacks any major streams, they built a pumphouse at the lake's edge, dug irrigation
ditches, and installed a series of pumps to water the farmland. A large boarding house
was constructed to house up to 250 workers. In 1911 the boarding house filled with workmen from surrounding towns, recruited to clear and plow the land and plant apple and peach seedlings. A steam tractor
pulling a massive gang plow
was used to break up the soil.
By 1912, 8000 acres (32.4 km²) of land had been plowed, 50,000 fruit trees planted, and 50000 USbu of grain harvested. The company built a 25-room luxury hotel which became the town landmark, used to house tourists and prospective investors. Those who came to consider purchasing tracts of land or shares of stock were given a grand tour and a powerful sales pitch about Mosida's natural advantages and bright future. No expense was spared to impress the guests; a fine passenger boat ferried them across the lake to and from Provo
. Locals sometimes used the boat as a dance floor for parties. The Mosida Fruit Lands Company soon added more houses, a store, a post office, and even a school. They imported two French cooks to provide their workers the best of meals at the boarding house. The company's salesmanship was effective; by 1913 some 400 people had moved to Mosida and were working the farms and orchards.
The new residents quickly found that life in Mosida did not live up to the promotional literature's glowing descriptions. The fruit trees began to die; it transpired that the soil was too salty and mineralized for them. Other crops such as wheat and peanuts did better, but swarms of grasshopper
s damaged the surviving crops, especially the alfalfa
. Transportation to and from the isolated site was a challenge, and became even harder when the Mosida boat was destroyed in a fire on April 17, 1913. The pumping and irrigation operations also proved more expensive than planned, despite a second pumping plant installed in 1914. The lake level fluctuated widely from year to year, dropping so low in 1915 that the water could no longer be pumped. Individual landowners and the company itself found themselves increasingly in debt, and in 1915 the Mosida Fruit Lands Company was placed under court-ordered receivership
. Creditors tried to keep the project going for a few more years, but by 1917 most people had left. The population dropped to 67 by 1920, and with no more water or power available Mosida died. The last resident stayed until 1924.
Some ruins of Mosida still stand, including the foundations of the hotel and schoolhouse, and the concrete pumphouse walls.
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 on the southwestern shore of Utah Lake
Utah Lake
Utah Lake is a freshwater lake in the U.S. state of Utah. On the western side of Utah Valley, the lake is overlooked by Mount Timpanogos and Mount Nebo. The lake's only river outlet, the Jordan River, is a tributary of the Great Salt Lake and is highly regulated with pumps. Evaporation accounts...
, in Utah County, Utah
Utah County, Utah
Utah County is a county located in the U.S. state of Utah. As of 2000, the population was 368,536 and by 2008 was estimated at 530,837. It was named for the Spanish name for the Ute Indians. The county seat and largest city is Provo...
, United States. The nearest inhabited town is Elberta
Elberta, Utah
Elberta is a census-designated place in Utah County, Utah, United States. It is part of the Provo–Orem, Utah Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 278 at the 2000 census. It is also known as "The Slant". It was founded as "Mt. Nebo". After the water failed in 1901 most of the...
, some 12 miles (19.3 km) to the south. A heavily promoted planned community
Planned community
A planned community, or planned city, is any community that was carefully planned from its inception and is typically constructed in a previously undeveloped area. This contrasts with settlements that evolve in a more ad hoc fashion. Land use conflicts are less frequent in planned communities since...
in the 1910s, Mosida was ultimately a failure.
History
The land was purchased from the Utah State Land Board in 1909 by a group of three men: R. E. Morrison, Joseph Simpson, and J. E. Davis. They planned to divide the land and sell it in tracts for peach orchardOrchard
An orchard is an intentional planting of trees or shrubs that is maintained for food production. Orchards comprise fruit or nut-producing trees which are grown for commercial production. Orchards are also sometimes a feature of large gardens, where they serve an aesthetic as well as a productive...
s. They named their project Mosida, an acronym formed from the first two letters of each of their surnames. Within months they sold out to a group of promoters from Denver, Colorado
Denver, Colorado
The City and County of Denver is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Denver is a consolidated city-county, located in the South Platte River Valley on the western edge of the High Plains just east of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains...
who incorporated
Incorporation (business)
Incorporation is the forming of a new corporation . The corporation may be a business, a non-profit organisation, sports club, or a government of a new city or town...
as the Mosida Fruit Lands Company.
The company began to improve the property and advertise to prospective investors and buyers. Since the land west of Utah Lake lacks any major streams, they built a pumphouse at the lake's edge, dug irrigation
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...
ditches, and installed a series of pumps to water the farmland. A large boarding house
Boarding house
A boarding house, is a house in which lodgers rent one or more rooms for one or more nights, and sometimes for extended periods of weeks, months and years. The common parts of the house are maintained, and some services, such as laundry and cleaning, may be supplied. They normally provide "bed...
was constructed to house up to 250 workers. In 1911 the boarding house filled with workmen from surrounding towns, recruited to clear and plow the land and plant apple and peach seedlings. A steam tractor
Steam tractor
A steam tractor is a vehicle powered by a steam engine which is used for pulling.In North America, the term steam tractor usually refers to a type of agricultural tractor powered by a steam engine, used extensively in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.In Great Britain, the term steam tractor...
pulling a massive gang plow
Plough
The plough or plow is a tool used in farming for initial cultivation of soil in preparation for sowing seed or planting. It has been a basic instrument for most of recorded history, and represents one of the major advances in agriculture...
was used to break up the soil.
By 1912, 8000 acres (32.4 km²) of land had been plowed, 50,000 fruit trees planted, and 50000 USbu of grain harvested. The company built a 25-room luxury hotel which became the town landmark, used to house tourists and prospective investors. Those who came to consider purchasing tracts of land or shares of stock were given a grand tour and a powerful sales pitch about Mosida's natural advantages and bright future. No expense was spared to impress the guests; a fine passenger boat ferried them across the lake to and from Provo
Provo, Utah
Provo is the third largest city in the U.S. state of Utah, located about south of Salt Lake City along the Wasatch Front. Provo is the county seat of Utah County and lies between the cities of Orem to the north and Springville to the south...
. Locals sometimes used the boat as a dance floor for parties. The Mosida Fruit Lands Company soon added more houses, a store, a post office, and even a school. They imported two French cooks to provide their workers the best of meals at the boarding house. The company's salesmanship was effective; by 1913 some 400 people had moved to Mosida and were working the farms and orchards.
The new residents quickly found that life in Mosida did not live up to the promotional literature's glowing descriptions. The fruit trees began to die; it transpired that the soil was too salty and mineralized for them. Other crops such as wheat and peanuts did better, but swarms of grasshopper
Grasshopper
The grasshopper is an insect of the suborder Caelifera in the order Orthoptera. To distinguish it from bush crickets or katydids, it is sometimes referred to as the short-horned grasshopper...
s damaged the surviving crops, especially the alfalfa
Alfalfa
Alfalfa is a flowering plant in the pea family Fabaceae cultivated as an important forage crop in the US, Canada, Argentina, France, Australia, the Middle East, South Africa, and many other countries. It is known as lucerne in the UK, France, Australia, South Africa and New Zealand, and known as...
. Transportation to and from the isolated site was a challenge, and became even harder when the Mosida boat was destroyed in a fire on April 17, 1913. The pumping and irrigation operations also proved more expensive than planned, despite a second pumping plant installed in 1914. The lake level fluctuated widely from year to year, dropping so low in 1915 that the water could no longer be pumped. Individual landowners and the company itself found themselves increasingly in debt, and in 1915 the Mosida Fruit Lands Company was placed under court-ordered receivership
Receivership
In law, receivership is the situation in which an institution or enterprise is being held by a receiver, a person "placed in the custodial responsibility for the property of others, including tangible and intangible assets and rights." The receivership remedy is an equitable remedy that emerged in...
. Creditors tried to keep the project going for a few more years, but by 1917 most people had left. The population dropped to 67 by 1920, and with no more water or power available Mosida died. The last resident stayed until 1924.
Some ruins of Mosida still stand, including the foundations of the hotel and schoolhouse, and the concrete pumphouse walls.