Lower Grand Valley before the dam

 

Panorama of lower Grand Valley

 

Bureau of Rec Housing and work sites at Palisades Dam

The following photos are from Larry Fleming's collection.  The first picture you may recognize.  It is a picture of the Bureau of Reclamation's housing project.  Some of those houses are still there and lived in by USBR employees.  The second picture is of the work site just below the dam.  You can see a lot of excavation work being done.  Note the bridge across the river.  It was built by the USBR.  Not sure when it was removed, but a new bridge was built near the same location when the road across the dam was closed after the terrorist attack on 9/11/2001.  The third picture is another view of the worksite, just upstream of the bridge.  Across the river there's a big machine set up, maybe a rock crusher or a concrete plant? Do you know?

 

The old road and the new road......,...

 Well, a decision was made; the road was rerouted and the schools consolidated.  They were going to flood the grand valley, build a dam for all Idahoans' prosperity. Hardworked homesteads left for simple pennies per acre.  What did they have invested in them?  Blood. Sweat. Tears.

In the lower picture you can see both roads. Photo credit is hazy: Larry Fleming? Dam Kids? Let me know and I'll fix it.......

 

 

 

 

 

 

Reservoir Displaces Longtime Farm Families

 

This article is from the Post Register.  This image is from a binder of memorabilia about the Dam Kids collected by Larry Fleming over the years.  All of the contents of the binder have been scanned and sent to The Atlas of Drowned Towns for them to add to their database. We will regularly be posting images and articles from the binder to this blog and we will share those posts on our social media.  The best way to stay up to date on the progress of our research into Grand Valley is to follow our Facebook page, Swan Valley Old Timers. 

 

 

The Swinging Bridge in Grand Valley

 We all know the stories of Dora Daniels beloved Swinging Bridge in Irwin, but did you know there was another swinging bridge that helped the families that farmed on the southeast side of the river near Bear Creek.  The Fidelity School (also called Whiskey Run was on the other side of the river from the homesteads so a bridge was built so they could attend school.  The road was also on that side of the river, so the bridge made life in Bear Creek easier.  Families could attend church on Sundays or get out for supplies in the winter. There were dances at the school on weekends and they could attend after the bridge was built, creating more opportunities for the Bear Creek families and staving off the loneliness of rural life. (Photos from 'The Dam Kids' scrapbook, Larry Fleming)

The Nickersons and DeRomes, of Grand Valley

If you read the last post, it included information on Lula Ford and many of her siblings.  She was married to Milo Ford, son of Lewis Ford, and they made a home in "Maple Grove', a part of Grand Valley that was above the "new" high water line made by Palisades Reservoir.  I asked for help in the previous post about the exact location of 'Maple Grove'.  Please email us at svoldtimers.com with any info you have. 

Lula was the daughter of Emery Nickerson and Mary Louise DeRome Nickerson.  Mary was a reoccurring name in the DeRome family, an homage to their French roots.  "Mary Matilda" is the "Tillie" of 'Tillies Hot Springs', a [public pool heated by natural springs near Indian Creek. Anna Mary (Maria) was the mother of Ruth Pein, also known as Mrs. Dorold Jacobson.

 

 

 

There are some other names below that we would love to know more about.  

Was Stillman, husband of Verda, a Nickerson? or was Verda the Nickerson?

Who was Mary, the wife of Frank Anderson and had a son, Johnmo? Were they the ones who had a still across the river from the Fidelity School near Bear Creek?

 

Any info on the life or family lines of Ray, Sam, Eleanore, and Loren are also appreciated. They are the siblings of Emery Nickerson (early 1900's)...

 

all images here are courtesy of Trumpeter's Dell: (Bitton, Afton. Trumpeter's Dell, Idaho Falls, ID, Falls Printing Press, 2011. page 126, 160)