Desert Lake, Utah

Desert Lake
—  Ghost town  —
Desert Lake Location of Desert Lake in Utah
Coordinates: 39°22′24″N 110°46′57″W / 39.37333°N 110.7825°W / 39.37333; -110.7825Coordinates: 39°22′24″N 110°46′57″W / 39.37333°N 110.7825°W / 39.37333; -110.7825
Country	United States
State	Utah
County	Emery
Founded	1885
Abandoned	1910
Elevation[1]	5,577 ft (1,700 m)
GNIS feature ID	1427348[1]

Desert Lake is a ghost town in Emery County, Utah, United States. It was inhabited from 1885 to about 1910.^[2]

History

In 1885, several families moved from the town of Cleveland, Utah to an area they called Desert Lake, and built a 500-foot (150 m) embankment dam to impound a 300-acre (1.2 km²) irrigation reservoir.^[3] In 1896, the dam broke, causing significant damage.^[2] The LDS Church provided $1000 to rebuild the dam, and also to extend a ditch to Cleveland.^[3]

The 1900 United States Census reported Desert Lake's population at 127.^[4] Six years after the Census was taken, in 1906, the Desert Lake area was surveyed. An LDS church, a general store, several frame homes, and a school were constructed. The general store also served as the town's post office.^[5]

A problem throughout the valley occurred as farmers irrigated land, which dropped the water table and caused alkali in the soil to rise.^[3] The alkaline soil eroded adobe structures and caused many crops to fail.^[3] As the alkali in the soil concentrated, the residents of Desert Lake moved about 6 miles (9.7 km) away and founded the town of Victor. A few log homes make up what's left of the town of Desert Lake.^[5]

See also

• List of ghost towns in Utah

References

1. ^ ^{a b} U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Desert Lake
2. ^ ^{a b} Thompson, George A. (1988). Some Dreams Die: Utah's Ghost Towns and Lost Treasures. Salt Lake City, Utah: Dream Garden Press. pp. 111 - 112. ISBN 0-942688-01-5. 
3. ^ ^{a b c d} Taniguchi, Nancy J. (2004). Castle Valley, America: hard land, hard-won home. Logan, Utah: Utah State University Press. pp. 113. ISBN 0-87421-589-7. 
4. ^ Geary, Edward A. (1996). A History of Emery County. Salt Lake City, Utah: Utah State Historical Society. pp. 115. ISBN 0-913738-050-0. 
5. ^ ^{a b} Carr, Stephen L. (1986 (1972)). The Historical Guide to Utah Ghost Towns. Salt Lake City, Utah: Western Epics. p. 85. ISBN 978-0-91474-030-8.