Location Newton, Utah NRHP Reference # 73001860 Area 69 ha | Built 1871 (1871) Opened 1871 Added to NRHP 30 November 1973 | |
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Similar Pineview Dam, Rocky Mountains, Ogden River, Glenwood Caverns Adventur, Lagoon | ||
Newton Dam is an earthen dam about a mile North of Newton, Utah, in Cache County, in the northern part of the state.
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Map of Newton Dam, Smithfield, UT 84335, USA
Original construction here dates from an earthen water-control project of 1872, built by LDS pioneers with ox and horsedrawn scrapers, the first large irrigation project in Utah and a contender for the first in the entire United States. That structure was replaced by the United States Bureau of Reclamation, a mile and a half downstream, in 1941-1946.
The dam is 101 feet high and contains 5,600 acre-feet of water. The impoundment of Clarkston Creek forms a reservoir of 350 surface acres, owned by the Bureau of Reclamation, and operated by the local Newton Water Users Association.
Historic dam and reservoirEdit
The original dam and reservoir were added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1973. Originally built in 1871-1872 and rebuilt after wash-outs in 1874, 1877, and 1888, the dam was lined with rock and raised three feet in 1897. The capacity of the original reservoir was 1566 acre feet. The location of the original dam is still visible, located at 41.912°N 111.99°W / 41.912; -111.99. The historic boundaries start from the old dam and cover a portion of Clarkson Creek to the west.