In The History of Rich County on page 193 and the author talked about two separate canals coming from Swan Creek. He said, "The Swan Creek Canal flows south and the Swan Canal flows north. The Construction of the Swan Canal required excavation through solid rock to bring water across the Idaho border to Fish Haven. Much of the work was accomplished through the vigorous activity of Alexander Sims." This timeframe was about 1886 (some 10 years after the first canal), as Alexander started his 7 year construction efforts about 1886 and died in 1893 as a result of his accident.
A Water Rights document was located at the Rich County Courthouse in 1990 where Alexander described the dam measurements he built and also the canal.
Events in the Life of ALEXANDER SIMS by his daughter, Catherine Sims Collett
Edited by his granddaughter, Lucille Collett Rogers
My father, Alexander Sims, son of Thomas and Jane Sims was born November 14, 1834, in Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire, Scotland. He and his brother Thomas were the only children in his family. Alexander attended school until the age of 14. While in Scotland he worked in flour mills and learned the trade of a miller. He left his home in Scotland at an early age and went to South Africa. It was here he met his wife, Elizabeth McDermott, whose parents were James McDermott and Johannah Smyth. He related the circumstance of their meeting as follows: While attending a dance he was attracted to Elizabeth by her graceful dancing and an introduction was arranged. Elizabeth was born October 14, 1841, in Rounderbush, Eastern River, South Africa. Her father was Irish and her mother African Dutch. Elizabeth and Alexander were married in 1861, she being 21 and he 25. They made their home in Gramestown, Cape of Good Hope, South Africa. Two daughters were born to them while they lived in Africa - Jane and Elizabeth; however, the baby Elizabeth died at the age of two months was buried in Africa.
Alexander was a member of the Spiritualist Church and Elizabeth a member of the Catholic Church. One evening, when coming home from work, father heard two men preaching on a street corner and stopped to listen. They were Mormon elders talking about the rebellion in heaven, where Lucifer and his followers were cast out from the presence of God. Alexander was greatly impressed by their comments; the thought occurred to him that he had been serving the devil, instead of the Lord, and he was immediately converted to the Gospel. He went home and told mother about the incident and invited her to go along with him to a meeting the elders announced they were holding that evening. She was not much impressed and felt it foolish to attend the meeting, so father went alone; however, he persuaded her to accompany him to a meeting being held on Sunday. She felt different toward the elders after meeting them, as she was impressed with their sincerity. They invited the elders to their home for dinner and soon they had frequent visits with them. Father was baptized on July 29, 1863, and mother soon after that date; the exact date of her baptism has not been recorded. Mother stated that she was not fully converted, but was being baptized to please her husband.
Alexander and Elizabeth migrated to America from Port Elizabeth, April 12, 1866, arriving in New York 60 days later. They went from New York to St. Joseph, Missouri, by way of the St. Lawrence and Mississippi rivers by steamboat. Their travels from Missouri to Salt Lake Valley were by ox team; they arrived in Salt Lake the same year as the arrival of Johnson's Army. It took them six weeks to cross the state of Wyoming. Mother was a great lover of animals and this seems to account for the fact that she could handle the oxen better than father and therefore took charge of them and drove most of the time across the plains. Patriarch John Smith was the man in charge of their company, when crossing the plains, and Captain Davis piloted their sea-going vessel.
The first work Alexander did on arriving in Salt Lake Valley was to help cut stone from the quarry for the Salt Lake Temple. They lived in Sugar House a short time, at which time mother gave birth to twins. They then moved to Farmington, where father ran the flour mill. He was happier in this type of work, as it was the work had done before. He ran mills in Farmington, Kaysville, Centerville and Bountiful, moving his family as he made the changes. The owners did not wish to spend money on improving the mills, as there was talk of the roller mills being built to replace the old burr mills, which were then in use. Finally the Call Brothers who owned the Centerville Mill told father they would repair the mill if he would move back there, so we lived in Centerville for eight years. Father built a saw mill and ran it with the waste water from the flour mill. Alexander Sims had the name of making the highest grade flour in that part of the country.
After joining the Mormon Church, father, on several occasions, found Satan "tagging at his heels." Through his former connections with the Spiritualist Church he had no doubt come under the influence of Satan, who, as father believed, was the medium through which the Spiritualist believers work. Father was a great reader and during his leisure time at the mill spent hours reading the church books. At times he would feel the presence of Satan and his hosts. He described it like a rushing of air, closing all around him, with the pressure so great that he would sometimes fall to the floor. He would then call on the Lord to rebuke the devil from him and drive the evil spirits out of the mill.
Father was like a stranger to us children. We had little opportunity to visit with him. He would go to the mill early in the morning; his lunch was always sent to the mill for him. He would come home for the evening meal and often go back for three or four hours to finish a grist for someone who was waiting to take their load back home.
Things went well in his work at Centerville until he discovered that rats had ruined the flour bolt, which put the mill temporarily out of working order. Father began to search for a new mill. While on a trip to Salt Lake he met the Rich Brothers who owned a mill at Paris, Idaho. They urged him to go to Paris but a short time, since in a nearby town, St. Charles, Idaho, he found a better mill and a house for his family, so decided on that location. He sent a man from St. Charles for us. He came with a big wagon and a team of horses. There were nine of us with mother. The trip from Centerville to St. Charles took four and a half days. It can now be driven by auto in about 2 hours. We lived in St. Charles five years. Father bought a home there and we were quite content, but again fate intervened; the mill burned down.
Brother McCann, a patriarch in the Church, who lived in Fish Haven, Idaho, had talked frequently with father and knew of father's desire to own a piece of land, as he had seven boys coming into their teens, who would need to have something to do. Brother McCann had an idea that he thought might work. He knew of some land near Fish Haven which the Longhurst Brothers had homesteaded, but were anxious to see since there was not water for the land and the task of getting water seemed a difficult undertaking. Swan Creek, which was adjacent to this land, ran into Bear Lake and at the head of the creek was a large spring which came out of a huge rock. The people of Garden City had diverted some of this water to the south by means of a canal, but in order to get additional water from the spring, it was necessary to make a cut through the mountain and rock; this was a difficult task. Brother McCann and father went to the head of the spring and spent half a day there figuring out the difficult task. Brother McCann felt that father was the one who could do the job and he gave him a blessing which assured him that he could accomplish the work.
Father immediately purchased the Longhurst home and property, which lay close to the shore of Bear Lake. The home faced the lake and was elevated enough to give a beautiful view. Mr. Cook owned a flour mill, located on Swan Creek, and he was happy to have father take over the mill for merely getting his own supply of flour. In connection with the flour mill was a Cording Mill which Mr. Cook continued to operate.
Father soon began the work of making the cut for the water to come through. He bought two teams of horses, two scrapers, a hand level and some picks and shovels. He received little encouragement from others in the vicinity and many thought he was foolish to go ahead with it. About this time a Mr. Wilson bought a home at Fish Haven, which is located just a few miles north of Swan Creek. He had moved from Blackfoot, Idaho, where he owned a large cattle ranch. Since he purchased a large piece of land at Fish Haven and needed water for it, he became interested in the new canal and after talking to father he felt assured that the canal could be completed. He told father if he and his boys would do the work, he would finance the undertaking; so the work was started.
When the cut was partly finished father read in the paper that the Utah Power and Light Company expected to go through Bear Lake Valley and secure all unclaimed streams of water and divert them into the lake. He realized he could not delay in securing a water right, so immediately left for Randolph, Utah, for that purpose. Swan Creek lies just over the Idaho-Utah line. When he got to Randolph he found out that he was the first person who had secured a water right from the Swan Creek area. On his way home he stopped at the Bisbing Ranch, just south of Garden City, where Mr. Bisbing lived and owned considerable land. (This location is now known a d La Cota Bathing Resort). He informed Mr. Bisbing of the necessity of obtaining a water right. He also contacted the Bishop of Garden City and urged him to inform the people of Garden City to take care of their water rights. The people of that vicinity were ever grateful to father for this timely warning and he received many letters and words of appreciation for his interest in their behalf.
After seven years the cut was finally completed. It was twenty feet or more deep and approximately half a mile long. It was quite a day for father and Mr. Wilson. Many people were sure it couldn't be done, so Mr. Wilson was anxious to celebrate the occasion. He planned to invite the Bear Lake people to come to the spring and see the first water run through. He had plans for a program and intended to hire the Montpelier band and pay all expenses.
Father and the boys were at the spring and were about ready to go home for the day, when father turned to the boys and told them to go on home and he would stay a while longer, as he wanted to turn the water into the ditch again to make sure it would go through without any trouble. Mother waited for him to come to dinner that evening until 9:00 o'clock. Then they became worried. The boys went up to the spring but could not find him. They could see where he had turned the water in the ditch and had shut it off again. They followed the creek down to the Cook residence but did not find him there. So they got some lanterns and organized a searching party. They found him in the creek between the spring and the lake. The doctor said he did not drown, but was instantly killed by a fall, striking his head on the rocks.
The celebration, of course, was called off and Mr. Wilson came to mother and asked if he could have the opportunity of paying all funeral expenses. He said, "Mr. Sims was like a brother to me." Mr. Wilson paid the funeral expenses and purchased a lovely casket. Such a casket was indeed a novelty for the Fish Haven people, as they usually made their own.
Due to the nature of father's work in the mills, he did not attend church regularly, nor participate too actively in Church work. But he studied the gospel a great deal and always had a strong testimony. He was a firm believer in tithing and although we struggled along financially, he always paid his tithing in full. He did not believe in indebtedness and owed no one at the time of his death.
Father had an unusual gift of healing and Amy Cook, one of Mr. Cook's wives, was especially impressed with his power of healing. One day Amy's daughter, Annie, had an accident while working at the Cording Mill. Her arm was caught in the teeth of the Corder and badly mashed, almost to the elbow. The doctor was called but had to come from Montpelier and did not get there until 4:00 o'clock the next morning. She was in great pain all this time and the family called father to administer to her. As soon as he administered to her she was immediately relieved. When he left her bedside she suffered intensely and he stayed beside her until the doctor arrived. It was necessary to amputate her arm. Father related that when he went toward his home that early hour in the morning, he felt this rush of air, which he frequently felt when Satan tried to thwart his efforts. It was so intense that he fell to the ground and could not arise until he prayed for the Lord to rebuke the evil spirit from him. It was on such occasions, as administering to others, or reading from the church books that he would often feel this evil force. To him, the force of evil was a real thing, but he always maintained that it could not hurt you, if you relied on the Lord for help.
Alexander and Elizabeth had 13 children, including two sets of twins. Alexander died at the age of 58.
FROM THE HISTORY OF BEAR LAKE, PUBLISHED BY THE DAUGHTERS OF UTAH PIONEERS, 1968
ALEXANDER AND ELIZABETH MCDERMOTT SIMS
By Elaine Webb
Alexander Sims was born November 14, 1835 in Old Meldrum, Scotland, the son of Thomas Sims Mary Jane Innes. When a young man he went to Grahamstown, South Africa to seek employment with the English colonists who were settled there. He met and married Elizabeth Eldortha McDermott who was born October 14, 1841 in Roundebosch, Cape of Good Hope, South Africa, the daughter of James McDermott and Johannah Smith. Her father was a shoemaker.
When eight years old she went to live with the Livermore family on an estate in the country. Here she remained until she was eighteen years of age without seeing her family. At this time her father died and her mother came to get her. She stayed with her mother at an aunts house for three months and for the first time in her life was allowed to attend parties and dances. She then went back to live with the Livermore's and not long after this, Alexander Sims arrived to work as an apprentice in the Livermore flour mill. After Alexander had completed his apprenticeship as a millright and machinist, they were married at Grahamstown and here they made their home. It was here that their first child, Jane was born.
When Jane was six months old they sold the mill and he went to Port Elizabeth to work. He boarded with a family by the name of Fred Ardor. These people were all members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Alexander, an avid reader, began reading their literature and books around the home, and attended several of their meetings conducted by the missionaries. He became quite interested in the church and was baptized in 1863, unknown to his wife. Shortly after this he brought his wife to Port Elizabeth to live. He finally told her he had been baptized and continued to attend meetings.
One day she decided to accompany him to his church and was quite impressed by the sermon. She invited the elders home for dinner and that night before they left they invited her to attend a baptism the next day, which she did and was even baptized herself ands had her baby Jane blessed. Her parents, good members of the Church of England, were very upset and thought she had disgraced them. The Gospel meant more and more to them each day, and they saved and prepared to go with a group of other Saints to Zion.
Their second baby, Elizabeth, was born in Port Elizabeth. The Saints had disposed of their belongings and had gathered on the beach getting ready to go to Zion. It was during this time that their baby, Elizabeth, died. She was buried on the beach. They then boarded the ship Brig Mexicano, April 10, 1865 to begin their voyage to America. They arrived in Salt Lake City, Utah on November 9, 1865. They lived in several towns in Davis County where Alexander worked in flour mills.
In the spring of 1879, Alexander arrived in Paris, Idaho, and went to work for Able Rich putting machinery in shape and putting burrs in the flour mill. He stayed until October working at the Paris flour mill, then he returned home. While attending April conference in 1880, he met a Mr. Merkley, who owned a flour mill in St. Charles, Idaho. He hired Alexander to fix his mill and run it. He soon sent for his family. In the fall of 1882 they bought and moved into their new home, which was only a short distance from the mill.
Alexander filed on a quarter section of land just south of the Utah and Idaho state line of the west shore of Bear Lake, and here they established a permanent residence and took up farming. He filed the first priority water right on Swan Creek. He and his sons commenced at once to build a dam across the head of Swan Creek and to dig a 30 feet deep through a hill. Most of this depth was solid rock, and required blasting with powder.
With no capital to work with, and a wife and twelve children to support, it was an extremely difficult and tedious task. It took nine years to put water on the farm. When the cut was completed, a big celebration was planned for June 15, 1893. On the 13th, in order to be sure the water would run through the cut, Alexander and some of the stockholders went to the head of the dam. He turned some water in the ditch but those with him didn't think it was enough and persuaded him to turn more in. They went to investigate the ditch and Alexander was left alone. When he failed to return home that night a search party was sent out and found his lifeless body in the stream. Some thought he had slipped in the creek and drowned, but in examination it was supposed he had lost his balance and fell, striking his head and causing his death.
The 13 children of Alexander and Elizabeth Sims were: Jane, Elizabeth, Thomas, Ellen, Mary Ann, Catherine Elizabeth, Alexander, William Dee, James, Hannah Isabella, Alfred George, Alvin John and George Henry.
