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In 1884, Charles and Sarah Tautphaus purchased from the government 2 sections of arid land (1280 acres) for $1.25 per acre, and a year later a business building on Eagle Rock Street from Ed Winn, all while living in Butte City, Montana where he and partner Thomas Moffitt ran the Palace Meat Market and bought and sold live stock. In 1886 the Tautphauses moved to Eagle Rock, now Idaho Falls, where he continued his meat business and other ventures. Where Tautphaus Park now exists, they built their frame home, barns, and a large 6 acre lake. By 1889, their land holdings had increased to 3 1/4 sections or 2,080 acres, all contiguous with Holmes Avenue either bordering it or running through it for 3 miles southward from Holmes Avenue and 25th street. The perimiter of their land measured 10 miles. To bring water to his land and lake, Tautphaus intended to take water from Sand Creek in the vacinity of First Street and Hitt Road to transport by a canal he was constructing for that purpose. The water from Sand Creek proved to be unreliable and insufficient so work was halted. In 1889 Mr. Tautphaus filed on 100,000 inches of water to be taken out of the Snake River opposite Bear Island on the east bank of the river10 miles north of downtown Idaho Falls. Later that same year he and others formed the Idaho Canal Company to build the Idaho Canal from Bear Island to the Blackfoot River 30 miles away. They also appropriated water from Sand Creek and Willow Creek. A branch of the Idaho Canal, the Butte Arm, branches off of The Idaho Canal at 14th Street and Holmes, running through the Cemetery and Tautphaus Park where it supplied water for the lake, then cascaded down to the lower level and continued on toward the Shelley Butte. The Idaho Canal Company was capitalized at $500,000 all fully subscribed. Tautphaus held 37.5 percent of the stock valued at $187,500 In 1888, a son-in-law of the Tautphauses, Edward P. Henry, as the president of the Cedar Hollow And Foot Hills Canal Company, filed on 50,000 inches of water to be taken out of the South Fork of the Snake River. After several changes in ownership, the Idaho Canal Company acquired the system 1n 1896. Also in 1896, the Idaho Canal Company contracted with the Department of Interior to build the Reservation Canal from the Snake River at Shelley to the Blackfoot River were it emptied and was taken out down stream to supply 100 inches of water to Ross Fork Creek on the Indian Reservation and where further downstream on the Blackfoot River 200 inches of water was taken out to continue the Reservation Canal thus irrigating land continuing on to the Portneuf River. In 1902, the Idaho Canal Company become insolvent with about $275,000 in debts they couldn't meet amd as a result the court placed them into receivership. On January 10, 1903, a public auction was held and all assets were sold for $75,000 to the Idaho Canal and Improvement Company headed and substantially owned by James H. Brady, of Pocatello, Idaho. The Idaho Canal Company had pledged all assets to a Chicago Trust Company and I would expect the $243,000 balance had to be paid by the successful bidder. James H. Brady 6 years later became Govenor of Idaho, and later U S Senator during World War I. Mr. Brady is the great grand father of Jerry Brady, presently publisher of the Post Register. In 1905, the Idaho Irrigation District was formed and after 3 years negotiations with Mr. Brady, purchased the Idaho Canal System in 1908. The purchase did not include the Reservation Canal. As an irrigation district, canals have the power to tax their patrons to meet expenses. Those who developed the canal systems such as Charles Tautphaus, have made the arid sage brush expanses of the area blossom into fertile productive fields providing an economic base employing thousands. July 1, 1995......Jim Bennett
Read Historical Marker at Tautphaus Park |