Water is life.

Farming on the upper and lower Pine Creek benches in the early 1900's relied heavily on water storage in cisterns and God's gift of flowing water to fill them with.  An early trapper, Bill Wolfe, who had trapped in the area for over 50 years, told some of the first settlers on Pine Creek bench that the freshwater spring on the upper bench had never been known to run dry.  Besides Bill Wolfe and Mike Spencer, another reclusive mountain man living up Pine Creek, Dan Jacobs and his wife Rebecca Jennie were the first white people to live on Pine Creek bench. They homesteaded some 640 acres in 1901-1902 and purchased another 320 acres from Larry Hanson shortly thereafter.  They had first pick of acreage because Dan offered to finance the development of a canal from upper Pine Creek to the benches.  (Our Turn in Paradise, pages 65-67)  It must have been obvious to Dan that the success of the farm, especially one of such size, was dependent on water.

Diverting the water from Pine Creek to the benches was a huge idea for the times.  In 1900, congruent to applying for homesteads, Jacobs, along with Dan Post and Larry Hanson, founded the "Pine Creek Canal Company Limited".  The canal was built along the south edge of Pine Creek, beginning near Pine Basin.  The rudimentary road flanked the north side of the creek.  The location of the canal on the south side required a trestle be built. It was built from pine logs and stood nearly 100 feet above the canyon floor.  The wooden aqueduct eventually rotted out and was replaced with a siphon, consisting of 2 large pipes that dropped off the south side of the canyon and back up the other side to the canal.  The canal must have been completed by 1910, when Mr. Jacobs sold the land to Joachim Kruse.  Frank Stoltenberg reportedly finished the construction of the aquaduct as part of the sales agreement.  In 1923, Hank Kruse had hired H.L. Wiese to "walk the Pine Creek Canal with a shovel patching 'rat holes'".  (Our Turn in Paradise, page 76)  By the 1940's the ditch had been abandoned.

Here's a photo of a drawing from "Our Turn in Paradise". 

Part 6 of Gary Wiese's speech

We were happy as though we had good sense...

Part 6 of Gary Wiese's speech at the 2018 Old Timers Reunion.

This is probably the best part of Gary's speech.  

Enjoy. 

Part 5 of Gary's speech at the 2018 Old Timers Reunion

Part 4 of Gary's Speech at the 2018 Old Timers Reunion

Part 3 of Gary's speech... Upper Pine Creek Bench

Part 2 of Gary Wiese's speech at the 2018 Old Timers Reunion

Dry Farming on Pine Creek Bench

Part 1 of Gary Wiese's speech at the 2018 Swan Valley Old Timers Reunion

Part 2 of Delbert Winterfeld's talk about Pine Basin Ski Area

Lower Pine Creek School built in 1916 first school teacher was Jennie Fleming. 

Lower picture Gary & Lynn Wiese.

Pictures and Copy Courtesy of Larry Fleming;  

Pictures are from Lynn Wiese's book.

Prt 1 of 2 of Delbert Winterfeld’s speech at the 208 Swan Valley Old Timers Reunion.

Never Going Anywhere

Here's another little ditty from Fawnell Fisher Blankenship...

'My brothers were having a coke in Changdon's Lodge, there in Swan Valley. In a booth, they overheard, “Too bad about those Fisher kids. They’re good kids, but won’t ever go anywhere.”  
Hee-hee: Gary’s a dentist, John, chemical engineer, after my hubby served 8 1/2 years (many on nuclear subs with 3 kids). I put him through dental school. He painted houses along the way.  We made it off that dry farm!!!  Even got a real toilet with running water.'