"Steinaker Lake itself is an unusual water storage facility. It is supplied by a canal from a diversion dam on Ashley Creek several miles to the west. One of the first units to be constructed in the vast Central Utah Project, Steinaker Lake stores runoff water from Ashley Creek to provide irrigation water to the Ashley Valley. The area is named for General William H. Ashley, famous for his leadership in the fur trade in the West in the 1820s and 1830s."--from stateparks.com
The ice is beginning to melt but it has a long way to go before it's time for fishing and boating.
"In addition to its obvious attractions for water recreation, Steinaker State Park is located in a region well known to geologists, historians and collectors of artifacts. Fossilized relics once found in ancient seas such as oysters, clams, and other shellfish are found here. Steinaker's convenient location makes it a popular base for exploring the many attractions of Dinorsaurland in northeast Utah or the Flaming Gorge National Recreation Area to the north."
The groundbreaking ceremony for Steinaker Dam was held in 1961. The man for whom the lake and park are named, John Steinaker, attended that ceremony. He was a member of the pioneer ranching family of the region and was 81 at the time of the ceremony. The park was opened to the public in 1964.
This section was really muddy but it sure smelled good. I came out here for lunch when I was overloaded with too much to do at work. It was a wonderful reprieve just a short drive north of Vernal. See what's happening on the rest of the planet at My World Tuesday.
17 comments:
It's funny to see spring pictures from Seattle and frozen lakes from Utah! Here in Central Europe, we have spring temperatures since Friday, but the buds are not open yet.
Thank you for the history of the Seinaker Dam!
We are just coming out of Winter to Spring, but the cool chill can still be felt in these images.
We are just coming out of Winter to Spring, but the cool chill can still be felt in these images.
We've have had such different weather patterns all over the world this year, it seems!! Does make things interesting. Love the history of the Seinaker Dam! Great looking place for a walk! Hope you have a great week, Loran!
Sylvia
It's a very pretty place. I bet it also a good place to go fishing when the time is right.
Being born and raised in SoCal, I cannot imagine an entire lake being frozen. How can it get that cold?
Thanks Loran for the tour. It won't be long 'til all of that ice will be gone. The area looks interesting. My blog today also talks about geology--but mine is talking about rocks formed by the water long-long-long many years ago!!!!
Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) build alot of dams in the Tennessee Valley years ago. I guess they were needed to help pay for our electricity ---BUT they flooded tons and tons of beautiful farmland when they built those dams. What a shame. Oh Well--tis progress I guess.
Hugs,
Betsy
Thanks for sharing the interesting history of the Steinaker Park and Dam. So cool that the founder was able to attend the groundbreaking ceremony at 81. He must have been thrilled.
BlessYa
Great sights and interesting info on the park.
I liked the little history lession and the pictures to go along. It sounds like an interesting place, I'll have to add it to my wish list to visit. Thanks for sharing.
Still looks pretty cold but a great place to explore
I love the shots of the frozen lake through the trees. A nice place to go for some regrouping.
Love those fossil beds with remnants of life from millions of years ago. Always have mixed feelings about dams in the West: good for irrigation or hydroelectricity, but they sure wrecked the native fish populations.
In California, fishing season starts the end of April and many fishermen look forward to ice fishing. That doesn't look like it would be safe for that.
Yes, most folks think of Cat Stevens. I was a little surprised to see the lyrics attributed to that poet. It was popular in the church we once belonged to and that is my closest association.
Steinaker State Park looks like a great place to visit, MM. I would love wander around and find some fossils and artifacts. Of course I would turn them over to the state.
Brrr, winter still has quite a grip there.
Thank you for sharing your part of the world with us! Tam
http://bloggingbradleys.blogspot.com
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