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Powell's Centennial

Centennial Book

Powell’s Centennial book, At Home in the Valley: Powell’s First Century, will be ready for sale in time for Christmas giving 2008.

The 200-page book, authored by Bob Bonner and Beryl Churchill will celebrate and chronicle Powell’s history. The sturdy paper-back book contains more than 100 historic photographs and features a four color cover. Early bird price: $25, including tax and shipping. Send no money at this time, but sign up now to guarantee the early bird price and you will be notified when the book is available. You can send an email to info@powellchamber.org or stop in to sign up.

Powell’s 100th Birthday

Powell will celebrate its 100 birthday on May 25, 2009. That was the day in 1909 the Reclamation Service put business lots on Clark and Bent Streets in Powell up for auction. Powell, one of the first reclamation projects in the nation and headquarters for the Shoshone Project was named in honor of John Wesley Powell, director of the USGS (US Geological Service) and advocate of irrigating the arid lands of the west.

The first homesteaders came to this semi-desert area even before Powell was officially established. The Project was opened to homesteading in 1907, but the irrigation system wasn’t ready for the new settlers until April 27, 1908 when water was first turned into the Garland Canal, the lifeline for two divisions of the Shoshone Project—Garland and Frannie.

The tiny community grew rapidly after the lots went on sale. By 1909, 9500 acres were farmed by about 300 hearty settlers who came to start a new life in the barren desert that Reclamation officials said awaited only “the magic touch of water to make the bare, brown desert bloom.”

At the end of 1909, Powell had two churches, a school, bank, hardware store, two general stores, a bakery, drug store, two lumber yards, two blacksmith shops, implement houses, a market, newspaper, confectionery and billiard hall, a livery barn, barber shop and photograph gallery.