Kiz, Utah
Encyclopedia
Kiz is a ghost town
located in arid Clark Valley, in the sparsely populated eastern part of Carbon County
, Utah
, United States
. This agricultural settlement existed approximately 1906–1940. The nearest inhabited town is East Carbon
.
conditions. In 1906 the first of the more permanent settlers arrived, Orson Dimick and John Higginson, later to be joined by Nephi Perkins and Dimick's parents, Ephraim and Kiziah. Most of the homesteaders came in the period 1910–1916, including a successful Basque
sheepherder named Gratien Etchebarne who filed the first legal claim to the land in 1916. By then there were some two dozen families living in what became Kiz.
The settlers were aware of the valley's forbidding desert climate. They set about the difficult task of dry farming. Trying to save all the available water, residents dug numerous wells, and although there was no stream nearby, they built a large reservoir
for irrigation
.
In 1921 the American Legion
promoted Clark Valley as a home for World War I
veterans to establish themselves, making claims of available irrigation water that never actually arrived. It is not known how many people this advertisement brought, but by 1924 there were enough children to establish a school, in a building provided by Etchebarne. The population reached its peak in 1925, and a post office was established in 1926 in George Mead's general store
. He suggested the name Kiz in honor of the first woman settler in the valley, his sister Kiziah "Aunt Kiz" Dimick.
Kiz did experience successful harvests some years, but water was always in short supply. In 1930 there was another severe drought, and most of the residents moved away. The school burned down in 1932, and the students started attending school in Sunnyside
. By 1940 Kiz was a ghost town. The town's cemetery and a few empty foundations are still visible.
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 arid Clark Valley, in the sparsely populated eastern part of Carbon County
Carbon County, Utah
Carbon County is a county located in the U.S. state of Utah. Named for the major coal deposits in the area, the county seat and largest city, is Price. Carbon County is the second largest natural gas producer in Utah , with 94 billion cubic feet produced in 2008. As of 2010 the population was...
, 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...
. This agricultural settlement existed approximately 1906–1940. The nearest inhabited town is East Carbon
East Carbon, Utah
East Carbon is a city in Carbon County, Utah, United States. The population was 1,393 at the 2000 census. East Carbon was incorporated on July 23, 1973, from the merger of the two struggling mining towns of Dragerton and Columbia.-Geography:...
.
History
The area was first settled in the 1890s by two successive ranchers—the first, by the name of Clark, giving his name to the valley. Each of them in turn soon abandoned his ranch, most likely due to droughtDrought
A drought is an extended period of months or years when a region notes a deficiency in its water supply. Generally, this occurs when a region receives consistently below average precipitation. It can have a substantial impact on the ecosystem and agriculture of the affected region...
conditions. In 1906 the first of the more permanent settlers arrived, Orson Dimick and John Higginson, later to be joined by Nephi Perkins and Dimick's parents, Ephraim and Kiziah. Most of the homesteaders came in the period 1910–1916, including a successful Basque
Basque people
The Basques as an ethnic group, primarily inhabit an area traditionally known as the Basque Country , a region that is located around the western end of the Pyrenees on the coast of the Bay of Biscay and straddles parts of north-central Spain and south-western France.The Basques are known in the...
sheepherder named Gratien Etchebarne who filed the first legal claim to the land in 1916. By then there were some two dozen families living in what became Kiz.
The settlers were aware of the valley's forbidding desert climate. They set about the difficult task of dry farming. Trying to save all the available water, residents dug numerous wells, and although there was no stream nearby, they built a large reservoir
Reservoir
A reservoir , artificial lake or dam is used to store water.Reservoirs may be created in river valleys by the construction of a dam or may be built by excavation in the ground or by conventional construction techniques such as brickwork or cast concrete.The term reservoir may also be used to...
for 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...
.
In 1921 the American Legion
American Legion
The American Legion is a mutual-aid organization of veterans of the United States armed forces chartered by the United States Congress. It was founded to benefit those veterans who served during a wartime period as defined by Congress...
promoted Clark Valley as a home for World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
veterans to establish themselves, making claims of available irrigation water that never actually arrived. It is not known how many people this advertisement brought, but by 1924 there were enough children to establish a school, in a building provided by Etchebarne. The population reached its peak in 1925, and a post office was established in 1926 in George Mead's 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...
. He suggested the name Kiz in honor of the first woman settler in the valley, his sister Kiziah "Aunt Kiz" Dimick.
Kiz did experience successful harvests some years, but water was always in short supply. In 1930 there was another severe drought, and most of the residents moved away. The school burned down in 1932, and the students started attending school in Sunnyside
Sunnyside, Utah
Sunnyside is a city in Carbon County, Utah, United States. The population was 404 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Sunnyside is located at ....
. By 1940 Kiz was a ghost town. The town's cemetery and a few empty foundations are still visible.
External links
- Kiz at GhostTowns.com
- Ghost Town Stories: Kiz