Provo Canyon History - History of Provo Canyon
Native Americans
The Utes probably began calling the land around the present Uinta National Forest home around A.D. 1400. They populated areas from Utah Lake to western Colorado and from the High Uintas to northern New Mexico and Arizona. The Utes that occupied the lands of the Uinta are known as the Timpanogots (or Utah Valley Utes) and the Uintah Utes.
The Timpanogots inhabited Utah Valley, north central Utah, and frequented areas as far east as the Strawberry Valley region. Their territory was defined on the north by the Traverse Mountains that separate Utah and Salt Lake Valleys, and areas north of that boundary were used by Shoshone peoples. At the time of the first European contact, Ute villages were located on the rivers on the east side of Utah Valley. The people fished in Utah Lake, used marsh plants and animals and hunted for small game, deer, elk and bison in the valley. Timpanogots used the present Forest lands to hunt deer, elk, bear and mountain sheep and gather wild strawberries, raspberries, service berries, choke cherries and black berries. Most of the food gathering that took place on Forest lands probably occurred late in the summer when temperatures were warm and upland berries were ripe (Janetski 1991).
The name Timpanogots translates as rock (tumpi-), water mouth or canyon (panogos) people (ots), perhaps referring to a rocky canyon, like Provo Canyon, from which a river flows (Steward 1938). The Timpanogots have also been referred to as the Timpa-nuu-cii which translates to mouth (tipana) people (nucci) (Smith 1974). Early explorers suggested that the Utah Valley Utes named themselves after Lake Timpanogos (Utah Lake).
The Uintah Utes occupied the Uinta Basin of northeastern Utah, but they ranged as far west as the Wasatch Front. Because of this, they probably had a close relationship with the Timpanogots. One of the journal entries of the Dominguez-Escalante expedition noted that the Utes frequented Strawberry Valley: “The guide told us that in it [Strawberry Valley] there had dwelt a portion of Lagunas [Utes], who depended on the said river’s fishing for their more regular sustenance and who had moved out for fear of the Comanche, who were starting their incursions through this part of the sierra...” (Warner 1976:50).
The name Uintah is derived from U-int-a-nu-kwints, which is the Ute name for the Uinta River (Fowler and Fowler 1971:178). Venita Taveaponts, a Ute linguist, states that the word Uinta, which is derived from the Ute word Yoov-we-tueh, means pine tree or pine forest. The Uintah Utes called themselves the Pag-wa-nu-chi, the Water-edge People (Calloway et al. 1986).
You can view Petroglyphs within easy walking distance of Canyon Glen Park, above Johnson's Hole to the the southeast, but below the upper aqueduct road.
The Timpanogots inhabited Utah Valley, north central Utah, and frequented areas as far east as the Strawberry Valley region. Their territory was defined on the north by the Traverse Mountains that separate Utah and Salt Lake Valleys, and areas north of that boundary were used by Shoshone peoples. At the time of the first European contact, Ute villages were located on the rivers on the east side of Utah Valley. The people fished in Utah Lake, used marsh plants and animals and hunted for small game, deer, elk and bison in the valley. Timpanogots used the present Forest lands to hunt deer, elk, bear and mountain sheep and gather wild strawberries, raspberries, service berries, choke cherries and black berries. Most of the food gathering that took place on Forest lands probably occurred late in the summer when temperatures were warm and upland berries were ripe (Janetski 1991).
The name Timpanogots translates as rock (tumpi-), water mouth or canyon (panogos) people (ots), perhaps referring to a rocky canyon, like Provo Canyon, from which a river flows (Steward 1938). The Timpanogots have also been referred to as the Timpa-nuu-cii which translates to mouth (tipana) people (nucci) (Smith 1974). Early explorers suggested that the Utah Valley Utes named themselves after Lake Timpanogos (Utah Lake).
The Uintah Utes occupied the Uinta Basin of northeastern Utah, but they ranged as far west as the Wasatch Front. Because of this, they probably had a close relationship with the Timpanogots. One of the journal entries of the Dominguez-Escalante expedition noted that the Utes frequented Strawberry Valley: “The guide told us that in it [Strawberry Valley] there had dwelt a portion of Lagunas [Utes], who depended on the said river’s fishing for their more regular sustenance and who had moved out for fear of the Comanche, who were starting their incursions through this part of the sierra...” (Warner 1976:50).
The name Uintah is derived from U-int-a-nu-kwints, which is the Ute name for the Uinta River (Fowler and Fowler 1971:178). Venita Taveaponts, a Ute linguist, states that the word Uinta, which is derived from the Ute word Yoov-we-tueh, means pine tree or pine forest. The Uintah Utes called themselves the Pag-wa-nu-chi, the Water-edge People (Calloway et al. 1986).
You can view Petroglyphs within easy walking distance of Canyon Glen Park, above Johnson's Hole to the the southeast, but below the upper aqueduct road.
Provo Canyon Wagon Trail
Photo Courtesy of D.P.L.A.
In 1852, William Gardner led a small group of men into that picturesque chasm. Its possibilities as an avenue of transportation evidently impressed them. That same year, the Utah Territorial Legislature sent a memorial to the United States Congress asking for the passage of a bill encouraging the construction of a railroad stretching from the East to the Pacific Ocean. The legislature recommended laying the rail into the Great Basin through Provo Canyon.
When nothing came of this memorial, Mormon leaders pulled their heads out of the clouds and concentrated on the construction of a wagon road through the canyon. In 1855, Utah's legislature granted William Wall, Evan M. Greene, Thomas S. Williams and Aaron Johnson the right to build a toll road through Provo Canyon and beyond, connecting at the most feasible point with the main wagon trail leading from the Missouri River.
Isaac Bullock led an exploring party through the canyon that year and found a possible wagon route to the new Mormon settlement at Ft. Supply, located near Ft. Bridger. However, it was not until 1858 after Brigham Young ordered the "Move South" during the Utah War, that the road was actually completed.
After men from Salt Lake City and northern Utah communities had temporarily situated their families in Utah Valley, some of them had very little work to do. Young led the organization of the Provo Kanyon Road Company in early June and put many of those without jobs to work. When the displaced settlers returned to their homes in July, the road was well on its way to completion, and the canyon became much more accessible.
This availability led to more travel through the canyon. Not long after workmen finished the road, a few people began visiting the canyon in order to camp, fish and see the sights. They publicized their visits, and their glowing reports convinced more people to travel to the canyon to view the scenery.
One excursionist who visited the canyon in 1860 wrote a letter to the Deseret News describing his trip. He simply signed his missive J.J.F. The penman reported the road was in good condition but "remarkable for being crooked." In his opinion, it was so tortuous that it caused people who traveled up the canyon for the first time to wonder if they would make it to the east end, where the canyon widened. When they finally reached Provo Valley, they felt like they "had performed a miracle."
He wrote of the intrinsic rewards of the trip: "In passing up the kanyon of the Timpanogos, one who has a taste for the wonderful, can see many things that will excite his curiosity and admiration. At the mouth of the kanyon, a perpendicular precipice of rocks several hundred feet high, forms the base of the mountain on either side of the river." Courtesy of The Daily Herald
When nothing came of this memorial, Mormon leaders pulled their heads out of the clouds and concentrated on the construction of a wagon road through the canyon. In 1855, Utah's legislature granted William Wall, Evan M. Greene, Thomas S. Williams and Aaron Johnson the right to build a toll road through Provo Canyon and beyond, connecting at the most feasible point with the main wagon trail leading from the Missouri River.
Isaac Bullock led an exploring party through the canyon that year and found a possible wagon route to the new Mormon settlement at Ft. Supply, located near Ft. Bridger. However, it was not until 1858 after Brigham Young ordered the "Move South" during the Utah War, that the road was actually completed.
After men from Salt Lake City and northern Utah communities had temporarily situated their families in Utah Valley, some of them had very little work to do. Young led the organization of the Provo Kanyon Road Company in early June and put many of those without jobs to work. When the displaced settlers returned to their homes in July, the road was well on its way to completion, and the canyon became much more accessible.
This availability led to more travel through the canyon. Not long after workmen finished the road, a few people began visiting the canyon in order to camp, fish and see the sights. They publicized their visits, and their glowing reports convinced more people to travel to the canyon to view the scenery.
One excursionist who visited the canyon in 1860 wrote a letter to the Deseret News describing his trip. He simply signed his missive J.J.F. The penman reported the road was in good condition but "remarkable for being crooked." In his opinion, it was so tortuous that it caused people who traveled up the canyon for the first time to wonder if they would make it to the east end, where the canyon widened. When they finally reached Provo Valley, they felt like they "had performed a miracle."
He wrote of the intrinsic rewards of the trip: "In passing up the kanyon of the Timpanogos, one who has a taste for the wonderful, can see many things that will excite his curiosity and admiration. At the mouth of the kanyon, a perpendicular precipice of rocks several hundred feet high, forms the base of the mountain on either side of the river." Courtesy of The Daily Herald
Provo Canyon Guard Quarters
Built in 1857-58, the Provo Canyon Guard Quarters is historically significant as one of only three remaining fortifications built by the Mormons during the Utah War as a defense against the threatened attack of the U.S. Army. The 2500-man Johnston's Army was sent to Utah by President James Buchanan to quell what he perceived to be a rebellion by the Mormons. Although the confrontation ended peaceably with no open warfare taking place, the event was of paramount significance in the political and economic history of the state.
Politically, the Utah War marked the beginning of over thirty years of
conflict between the federal government and the Mormon church, and it
illustrates the uneasy compromise that was forged between them as each sought to maintain peace with the other while retaining a significant degree of political power. Economically, the "invasion" proved to be a boon for the Mormon settlements as the army, upon leaving the territory at the outset of the Civil War, sold thousands of dollars of its goods and equipment for nominal costs.
The Provo Canyon breastwork was the smallest of the Utah War fortifications and, because of its location, the least likely to be involved in a defense
against the army. Ten men were assigned to duty there. The circular breastwork, located on a prominent hill on the north side of the canyon and opposite Bridal Veil Falls, offered a commanding view up the canyon. The facility was very rudimentary, consisting of dry masonry walls approximately two feet in height with no roof and no interior walls. Water for the men stationed there was obtained from a nearby spring, which in later years became known locally as Guard Quarters Spring.3 it is unknown how long the Provo Canyon Guard Quarters was manned, but considering its meager accommodations it was probably not occupied during the cold winter months of 1857-58 while the Utah War smoldered. The guard quarters was never involved in any of the actual events of the war, since Johnston's Army chose not to come down Provo Canyon and since the war never fully materialized.
The Provo Canyon Guard Quarters, in addition to its role in the Utah War, has also been identified as a lookout station to observe the Indians as they moved up and down the canyon. 4 Indian hostilities in the area virtually ceased with the end of the Blackhawk Indian War in 1868, so it is likely that the guard quarters were used very little, if at all, after that time. National Park Service
Politically, the Utah War marked the beginning of over thirty years of
conflict between the federal government and the Mormon church, and it
illustrates the uneasy compromise that was forged between them as each sought to maintain peace with the other while retaining a significant degree of political power. Economically, the "invasion" proved to be a boon for the Mormon settlements as the army, upon leaving the territory at the outset of the Civil War, sold thousands of dollars of its goods and equipment for nominal costs.
The Provo Canyon breastwork was the smallest of the Utah War fortifications and, because of its location, the least likely to be involved in a defense
against the army. Ten men were assigned to duty there. The circular breastwork, located on a prominent hill on the north side of the canyon and opposite Bridal Veil Falls, offered a commanding view up the canyon. The facility was very rudimentary, consisting of dry masonry walls approximately two feet in height with no roof and no interior walls. Water for the men stationed there was obtained from a nearby spring, which in later years became known locally as Guard Quarters Spring.3 it is unknown how long the Provo Canyon Guard Quarters was manned, but considering its meager accommodations it was probably not occupied during the cold winter months of 1857-58 while the Utah War smoldered. The guard quarters was never involved in any of the actual events of the war, since Johnston's Army chose not to come down Provo Canyon and since the war never fully materialized.
The Provo Canyon Guard Quarters, in addition to its role in the Utah War, has also been identified as a lookout station to observe the Indians as they moved up and down the canyon. 4 Indian hostilities in the area virtually ceased with the end of the Blackhawk Indian War in 1868, so it is likely that the guard quarters were used very little, if at all, after that time. National Park Service
Provo Canyon Tram
The younger generation may never know the thrill that was the exotic taste of Switzerland in Provo Canyon. For nearly 50 years, a tram line rose sharply to the top of Provo Canyon, passing Bridal Veil Falls and offering incredible views of the area. Yes, there are other tram lines, like the one at Snowbird in Little Cottonwood Canyon, but this old tramway, "The Sky Ride," was unique.
It boasted 4 superlatives:
The tram line had opened in 1967 and climbed as sharply as 66 degrees. During its seasonal operation (May-October), it would carry almost 30,000 riders a season to the top. The Provo Canyon Tram had become a resort and last operated on New Year's Day of 1996. Blogger
It boasted 4 superlatives:
- It was the steepest tram line in the world, rising 1,228 vertical feet in just 1,753 feet of cable. (Some people would not ride it, as it looked so unrealistically steep. Others would crawl out of the tram on top, scared out of their wits ...)
- It was the only tram that sat right next to a major U.S. highway.
- It was the only U.S. tram that passed by a major waterfall.
- It was the only U.S. tram that had a river running directly below it and feet from it starting point.
The tram line had opened in 1967 and climbed as sharply as 66 degrees. During its seasonal operation (May-October), it would carry almost 30,000 riders a season to the top. The Provo Canyon Tram had become a resort and last operated on New Year's Day of 1996. Blogger
South Fork Road
Always active and a leader where there was work to do, Grandfather helped lay out and build the old logging road in Provo Canyon. in the spring of 1859 Shadrack Holdaway built a sawmill in the South Fork of Provo Canyon. Because the mill was built on the summer hunting ground of the Indians, it cost Grandfather several fat6 steers each year to be left in peace. One year Grandfather had paid his tribute to one band of Indians when later in the year another hostile band came. The Chief sent for Grandfather. The escort took Grandfather to the and seated him on a blanket between two Indian warriors.
Of this incident Grandfather said: "As I was being taken to the Chief I noticed that the two warriors on the blanket each held a great hunting knife behind him. Seated between them I made the easiest bargain anyone ever got out of me". His experiences were many and varied as those of any Pioneer must be. He was seriously injured a number of times but Grandmother's skillful nursing pulled him through. On one occasion he went to Salt Creek near Nephi for a load of coal. He was helping a man lift his wagon wheel so he could go on, and just as the horses started his foot slipped and he fell under the wheels of the wagon, filled with seventy bushels of wheat went over him breaking every other two pair of ribs open and his collar bone. At a later time he had set a gun to shoot a bear. The next morning he went to see if the bear had been shot and happened to step on the string which had been arranged to discharge the gun. The gun went off and he received a bullet in his leg, which passed clear through his thigh, but no bones were broken. He almost lost his leg at that time. Blogger
Of this incident Grandfather said: "As I was being taken to the Chief I noticed that the two warriors on the blanket each held a great hunting knife behind him. Seated between them I made the easiest bargain anyone ever got out of me". His experiences were many and varied as those of any Pioneer must be. He was seriously injured a number of times but Grandmother's skillful nursing pulled him through. On one occasion he went to Salt Creek near Nephi for a load of coal. He was helping a man lift his wagon wheel so he could go on, and just as the horses started his foot slipped and he fell under the wheels of the wagon, filled with seventy bushels of wheat went over him breaking every other two pair of ribs open and his collar bone. At a later time he had set a gun to shoot a bear. The next morning he went to see if the bear had been shot and happened to step on the string which had been arranged to discharge the gun. The gun went off and he received a bullet in his leg, which passed clear through his thigh, but no bones were broken. He almost lost his leg at that time. Blogger
Nunn's Station Power Plant
THE HERALD, Provo, Utah, Sunday. February 27 1977. Nunn's Station Historic Power Plant Marked at Canyon Site By LARRY WEIST
"This scheme is a gigantic one and will add greatly to provo's prosperity," read an 1895 editorial from the Provo Daily Enquirer. It continued, "This finest water power to be found in the new state (Utah was admitted to the Union Jan. 4, 1896) ought to be utilized, not only for a power plant, but for more factories." The editorial referred to the Nunn Station, some three miles up Provo Canyon.
Though abandoned as a power station for many years, Nunn Station still stands and is owned by Utah Power & Light Co. In 1970, the Utah Historical Society registered it as a national histocial site. Electrical development in this area sometimes forged ahead of the industry nationwide, and, in the process, some of the industry firsts and technical contributions were achieved.
The Nunn Station had a resounding impact on Utah's development. Prior to UP&L's organization in 1912, electric service in Utah was furnished by three large UP&L predecessor companies and small enterprises confined to population centers, and not yet united into one unit. The Telluride Power Company was one of these predecessor companies.
Headed by an entrepreneur named L.L. Nunn, the company earlier had built a power system in southwestern Colorado centering around the mining area of Telluride. Seeking other hydroelectric sites in the intermountain region, Nunn informed directors of Telluride Power of his intent to appropriate waters of the Provo River for hydroelectrical generation. Provo City at that time was a quiet little village made up almost entirely of Mormon residents and was a trading center for the rich irrigated farm country on the shores of Utah Lake. Partly to avoid the resentment against outsiders, and partly to keep operations separate from the power company, investigations and preliminary work were carried on under the name of L.L. Nunn, trustee.
In May 1896, Nunn had 75 men at work on a flume and dam in the canyon and had approached Provo City officials for a street-lighting contract. But as work progressed and it became known that an 80-foot dam was to be built, local support changed to opposition. Someone recalled a disaster in Box Elder County resulting from a broken dam, and the Johnstown flood of 1889, just seven years before, which took more than 2,000 lives. Many became apprehensive and publicized their uneasiness. By June, the matter had reached the city council, and speakers condemned the proposed dam as a menace to factories along the river. Some said that the dam would depreciate property and that farmers depending upon water would suffer great loss through evaporation from the reservoir. There also was discussion that the water used to generate electric power would lose some mysterious essence that might make it ineffective later for irrigation usage in the valley. This notion that farmers would suffer recalled a similar rumor that had plagued the Telluride Power Company in Colorado in earlier years.
The Nunn Station began generation of power at the end of 1897. Cost of construction including dam, flume, and penstocks, was approximately $50,000. UP&L said it would cost about $330,000 today to build the plant. L.L. Nunn's transformer house, today ruins on the mountainside, was a substantial building; only walls of the old mill building still standing. It was built of three courses of hard-fired yellow ceramic brick, beautifully laid up. The transmission line to Mercur, built in the summer of 1897, was the first such line in the United States (nearly three times the voltage of any other existing line) as well as the longest transmission line ol any voltage. Courtesy of The Daily Herald
"This scheme is a gigantic one and will add greatly to provo's prosperity," read an 1895 editorial from the Provo Daily Enquirer. It continued, "This finest water power to be found in the new state (Utah was admitted to the Union Jan. 4, 1896) ought to be utilized, not only for a power plant, but for more factories." The editorial referred to the Nunn Station, some three miles up Provo Canyon.
Though abandoned as a power station for many years, Nunn Station still stands and is owned by Utah Power & Light Co. In 1970, the Utah Historical Society registered it as a national histocial site. Electrical development in this area sometimes forged ahead of the industry nationwide, and, in the process, some of the industry firsts and technical contributions were achieved.
The Nunn Station had a resounding impact on Utah's development. Prior to UP&L's organization in 1912, electric service in Utah was furnished by three large UP&L predecessor companies and small enterprises confined to population centers, and not yet united into one unit. The Telluride Power Company was one of these predecessor companies.
Headed by an entrepreneur named L.L. Nunn, the company earlier had built a power system in southwestern Colorado centering around the mining area of Telluride. Seeking other hydroelectric sites in the intermountain region, Nunn informed directors of Telluride Power of his intent to appropriate waters of the Provo River for hydroelectrical generation. Provo City at that time was a quiet little village made up almost entirely of Mormon residents and was a trading center for the rich irrigated farm country on the shores of Utah Lake. Partly to avoid the resentment against outsiders, and partly to keep operations separate from the power company, investigations and preliminary work were carried on under the name of L.L. Nunn, trustee.
In May 1896, Nunn had 75 men at work on a flume and dam in the canyon and had approached Provo City officials for a street-lighting contract. But as work progressed and it became known that an 80-foot dam was to be built, local support changed to opposition. Someone recalled a disaster in Box Elder County resulting from a broken dam, and the Johnstown flood of 1889, just seven years before, which took more than 2,000 lives. Many became apprehensive and publicized their uneasiness. By June, the matter had reached the city council, and speakers condemned the proposed dam as a menace to factories along the river. Some said that the dam would depreciate property and that farmers depending upon water would suffer great loss through evaporation from the reservoir. There also was discussion that the water used to generate electric power would lose some mysterious essence that might make it ineffective later for irrigation usage in the valley. This notion that farmers would suffer recalled a similar rumor that had plagued the Telluride Power Company in Colorado in earlier years.
The Nunn Station began generation of power at the end of 1897. Cost of construction including dam, flume, and penstocks, was approximately $50,000. UP&L said it would cost about $330,000 today to build the plant. L.L. Nunn's transformer house, today ruins on the mountainside, was a substantial building; only walls of the old mill building still standing. It was built of three courses of hard-fired yellow ceramic brick, beautifully laid up. The transmission line to Mercur, built in the summer of 1897, was the first such line in the United States (nearly three times the voltage of any other existing line) as well as the longest transmission line ol any voltage. Courtesy of The Daily Herald
Provo Canyon Rio Grande Railroad
Provo Canyon Branch History. The standard gauge branch was built in 1898-1899 as two parts - the western 11 miles from Provo to Upper Falls was built by the Rio Grande Western, and the eastern 15 miles from Upper Falls to Heber City was built by the Utah Eastern Railway, an RGW subsidiary. The branch's traffic primarily consisted of general freight, but Utah Ghost Rails notes that during the 1930s, Heber City produced more carloads of sheep than any other station in the US.
The only major change to the line came in 1938, with the construction of the Deer Creek Reservoir. The line, having been located at the bottom of the canyon, would wind up under the reservoir waters. Consequently, the US government relocated the line higher on the northern side of the valley and created the highway overpass that stands today.
In 1967, with less than a train a week over the branch, the Rio Grande filed for abandonment. In 1970, the northeastern half of the line, from Bridal Veil Falls to Heber, was sold to the Wasatch Mountain Railway, and the southwestern half was abandoned, mostly turned into a hiking/biking train. The northern half continues to operate today as the Heber Valley Railroad. DRGW
The only major change to the line came in 1938, with the construction of the Deer Creek Reservoir. The line, having been located at the bottom of the canyon, would wind up under the reservoir waters. Consequently, the US government relocated the line higher on the northern side of the valley and created the highway overpass that stands today.
In 1967, with less than a train a week over the branch, the Rio Grande filed for abandonment. In 1970, the northeastern half of the line, from Bridal Veil Falls to Heber, was sold to the Wasatch Mountain Railway, and the southwestern half was abandoned, mostly turned into a hiking/biking train. The northern half continues to operate today as the Heber Valley Railroad. DRGW
Olmstead Power Plant
Largely hidden away beneath stately shade trees in a spot near the mouth of Provo Canyon lies a gem of history -- the Olmsted hydroelectric power plant and grounds.
Some locals may recognize the name as the site -- for a number of years -- of the Timpanogos Storytelling Festival, before Orem city built Mt. Timpanogos Park in Provo Canyon to serve as the home of the annual event.
But Wayne Barnes, a hydro foreman for Rocky Mountain Power who has worked at Olmsted for the past 35 years, said he encountered many festival participants who told him that although they had lived in the community all of their lives, "they had no idea what was down in here."
What Olmsted has in the quiet, sequestered setting is a plant that first began operating in 1904 and is still functioning. The plant still uses some of the original equipment to produce electricity that is added to Rocky Mountain Power's system. When the river is full and everything is running at peak performance, Barnes said, the plant produces 12 megawatts per hour, enough to power about 3,000 homes.
On the grounds of the property are a number of historic buildings that date from the early 1900s, when Olmsted was on the cutting edge of the development of a new technology -- alternating current generation and transmission. There are two other power plants from the same era as the Olmsted still operating in Utah, Barnes said, and both are in Big Cottonwood Canyon. One is called Granite (1896), and the other is Stairs (1895).
The plant got its name from Fay Devaux (Fred) Olmsted, who worked with two brothers from the East Coast to develop the plant. As Barnes tells the story, L.L. Nunn and his brother, Paul, a mathematics teacher, went to Colorado to make a fortune in the mining business in the 1800s. The mines needed energy in order to separate the valuable metals from the impurities during the mining process.
Trees were cut and burned for steam to drive turbines, but as the trees were harvested further and further out from the plant, that source of energy became ineffective, as did hauling in coal. L.L. Nunn foresaw the potential value of streams in the production of electricity, but there was a catch. At the time, direct current was the only electrical power system in use, and it could not be safely used to take the necessary amount of power the required distances from the streams to the mills.
Barnes said the Nunn brothers contacted George Westinghouse to enlist his help in developing the technology to take falling water and use it for hydro-powered generators, transformers, switches and whatever else was needed for the safer alternating current. At a meeting with Westinghouse, the brothers said they were serious about getting the technology, and offered him a pouch of gold worth $50,000.
Other published historical accounts have the value of the gold as $100,000. (Barnes said that makes the story twice as good.) Regardless, the money made it all happen. The Nunns later took their success from the Colorado mines to Utah, and developed the plant in Provo Canyon, which transmitted power to mines in the Eureka District. Olmsted, who was an assistant to Paul Nunn, died of tuberculosis before the power plant was completed, and the Nunns named it for him.
The Olmsted facility not only had a power plant, but was also an educational facility. Workers attended classes part time to learn more about the new electrical technology and other subjects, including history, English, German, algebra, geometry, physics, drawing and public speaking.
There were offices, a dormitory building, a laboratory and a personal residence for the Nunns. Barnes and his family now reside in what was the Nunn residence.
Although some buildings have been torn down over the years, there are quite a few remaining, and the Olmsted has been a draw as a setting for the movie and television industries. The attraction can probably be attributed to the architecture and isolation that make Olmsted unique, while the facility still maintains a definite proximity to town.
Barnes said the movie "Halloween 5" was six weeks in production at Olmsted. He also remembers "The Stand" miniseries filming there, along with "Outlaw Trail," "Hollywood Detective" on the A & E Channel and commercials.
From the turn of the century to the 1920s, Eskelsen said, small hydroelectric plants like the Olmsted formed the backbone of the early power system, and many are still operating dependably after 100 years. Courtesy of the Daily Herald
Some locals may recognize the name as the site -- for a number of years -- of the Timpanogos Storytelling Festival, before Orem city built Mt. Timpanogos Park in Provo Canyon to serve as the home of the annual event.
But Wayne Barnes, a hydro foreman for Rocky Mountain Power who has worked at Olmsted for the past 35 years, said he encountered many festival participants who told him that although they had lived in the community all of their lives, "they had no idea what was down in here."
What Olmsted has in the quiet, sequestered setting is a plant that first began operating in 1904 and is still functioning. The plant still uses some of the original equipment to produce electricity that is added to Rocky Mountain Power's system. When the river is full and everything is running at peak performance, Barnes said, the plant produces 12 megawatts per hour, enough to power about 3,000 homes.
On the grounds of the property are a number of historic buildings that date from the early 1900s, when Olmsted was on the cutting edge of the development of a new technology -- alternating current generation and transmission. There are two other power plants from the same era as the Olmsted still operating in Utah, Barnes said, and both are in Big Cottonwood Canyon. One is called Granite (1896), and the other is Stairs (1895).
The plant got its name from Fay Devaux (Fred) Olmsted, who worked with two brothers from the East Coast to develop the plant. As Barnes tells the story, L.L. Nunn and his brother, Paul, a mathematics teacher, went to Colorado to make a fortune in the mining business in the 1800s. The mines needed energy in order to separate the valuable metals from the impurities during the mining process.
Trees were cut and burned for steam to drive turbines, but as the trees were harvested further and further out from the plant, that source of energy became ineffective, as did hauling in coal. L.L. Nunn foresaw the potential value of streams in the production of electricity, but there was a catch. At the time, direct current was the only electrical power system in use, and it could not be safely used to take the necessary amount of power the required distances from the streams to the mills.
Barnes said the Nunn brothers contacted George Westinghouse to enlist his help in developing the technology to take falling water and use it for hydro-powered generators, transformers, switches and whatever else was needed for the safer alternating current. At a meeting with Westinghouse, the brothers said they were serious about getting the technology, and offered him a pouch of gold worth $50,000.
Other published historical accounts have the value of the gold as $100,000. (Barnes said that makes the story twice as good.) Regardless, the money made it all happen. The Nunns later took their success from the Colorado mines to Utah, and developed the plant in Provo Canyon, which transmitted power to mines in the Eureka District. Olmsted, who was an assistant to Paul Nunn, died of tuberculosis before the power plant was completed, and the Nunns named it for him.
The Olmsted facility not only had a power plant, but was also an educational facility. Workers attended classes part time to learn more about the new electrical technology and other subjects, including history, English, German, algebra, geometry, physics, drawing and public speaking.
There were offices, a dormitory building, a laboratory and a personal residence for the Nunns. Barnes and his family now reside in what was the Nunn residence.
Although some buildings have been torn down over the years, there are quite a few remaining, and the Olmsted has been a draw as a setting for the movie and television industries. The attraction can probably be attributed to the architecture and isolation that make Olmsted unique, while the facility still maintains a definite proximity to town.
Barnes said the movie "Halloween 5" was six weeks in production at Olmsted. He also remembers "The Stand" miniseries filming there, along with "Outlaw Trail," "Hollywood Detective" on the A & E Channel and commercials.
From the turn of the century to the 1920s, Eskelsen said, small hydroelectric plants like the Olmsted formed the backbone of the early power system, and many are still operating dependably after 100 years. Courtesy of the Daily Herald
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