Chronology of events related to the Jersey Hotspring
1879 – Watts Ditch
Page 45 of book D of Mining Notices is a notice to construct a ditch for agricultural, milling and mining purposes in 1879. This document was written in longhand and I can’t read some of it but on the second page is a map showing the spring and the ditch. There are no coordinates for either the spring or ditch but the length of the ditch is described as being 42 chains long, which is 2,772 feet or approximately .5 mile. The ditch also runs from the spring to the southwest not the southeast, which is the direction of Home Station. The description of the location is “The hot spring formally known as Williams Hot Springs situated in the county and state aforesaid and about one mile and one half westerly from the Jersey Mine and the Eastern terminus of Said ditch shall be at a stake with the Watters of said springs are diverted and marked Watts Irrigating Ditch Eastern terminus, and running thence on a general southwest course for the distance of 4.2, Forty two chains to a stake marked Watts Irrigating Ditch Western terminus and the accompanying plat is hereby made a part thereof as showing the general course and termini of Said Ditch and Flume and further that during the year 1878 the waters of Said Springs to raise a crop and that it is my intention to buy the same as soon as the United States surveys are run so as to include Said Hot Springs. In witness whereof. .” This ditch is not long enough to reach the current Home Station Ranch and went to the Hot Spring Field described in the Starrett deed.
1878 – Land was at the mouth of Old Town Canyon and Hot Spring Ranch – EE Starrett
Deed claim made by EE Starrett in 1878 recorded on page 189 of book 32. Starrett’s land was at the mouth of Old Town Canyon which eventually became the Hermelin/Allard /Saval Jersey Ranch. The other piece of land is what was known as the Hot Spring Ranch, which has since disappeared.
1886 – Land was at the mouth of Old Town Canyon and Hot Spring Field – Starrett to Jenkins sale
Starrett sold to WT Jenkins Company the transfer of Hot Springs field located one and a half mile from the Jersey Mining camp and a certain piece of land situated at the mouth of Old Town Canyon, enclosed by fence and three cabins situated by said field. Also water locations,
- The spring located at the mouth of Old Town Canyon
- All the ditches from the springs to the above mentioned enclosure
- The ditch from the spring to the canyon, also
- A certain water claim known as Old Town water claim situated at Jersey mining camp
- A certain water claim known as the Watt irrigation ditch
- All the water of the springs known as Jersey Hot Springs situated about one forth mile NE from Hot Springs Ranch
- A certain water claim known as Butcher Canyon water claim situated one half mile from Jersey mining camp
- The water ditch from Butcher canyon to the Watt irrigation ditch about one and one half miles from mouth of Butcher Canyon
- Certain water claim know as Willow spring water claim situated about three miles N from Jersey Mining camp
- A certain water claim known as leherry [or maybe Cherry] canyon springs situated about four miles NE from Jersey mining camp
- A certain water claim know as Cotton Wood Groves spring situated about four miles SE from Jersey mining camp in Cotton Wood Grove near the summit of the mountain.
- A certain water claim know as Correl [maybe] Canyon springs situated about four miles S. of Jersey Mining Camp
- A certain water claim know as Home Station water claim about four miles SW from Jersey Mining Camp.
1879 – Watts ditch
The Watts Ditch is granted right of way through the land of others, and the use of the waters of the Hot Springs
1895 – Land at the mouth of Old Town Canyon – WT Jenkins to Mrs. WH Hood
1898 – Land at the mouth of Old Town Canyon – Mrs. WH Hood to WT Jenkins
1905 – Home Station – Abel to WT Jenkins,
Book 40 Page 547 – This document records the sale of 20 acres of land at the junction of Willow Creek and Home Station Creek from the Abels to the Jenkins. The transfer also includes the water rights to Willow Creek and Home Station Creek. This is the only water mentioned in the document. It does not mention the Jersey Hot Spring. What is interesting is that Willow Spring and Home Station water claim were part of the Starrett to Jenkins sale in 1886. The locations are not described in enough detail to say they are the same but it’s curious that if Jenkins owned the water rights from Starrett how did Abel also get rights to the same water. Maybe Starrett’s water rights were not solid. There is also no mention of any pipeline as part of the sale, which indicates the pipeline did not exist in 1905.
1911 – Land at the mouth of Old Town Canyon – Abel to Jersey Mining Company
1917 – Land at the mouth of Old Town Canyon – Jersey Mining Company to Hamelin
???? – Land at the mouth of Old Town Canyon – Hamelin to Allard
Transfer on Hamelin’s death
???? – Land at the mouth of Old Town Canyon – Allard to Saval
1925 Water Right for Home Station
The water right is for a pipeline and ditch and was filed in 1925. The claim reference is page 195-6 of book 27 of deeds.
1929 Survey Plat
No sign of Hot Spring Ranch or Watts Ditch. It shows two pipelines one from the hot spring and one from what is the current reservoir with a valve at the point it exits the reservoir. Both pipelines go to Home Station.
1943 – Home Station – US Gov. to Jenkins
The patent for the Home Station Ranch 021061 signed in 1943 is for land in the NE and SE quarters of section 7. The patent also states the land is a swap of other Jenkins land. Jenkins would not need to swap for this land if he already owned it. I think the “other lands” could be any claim Jenkins had on the Hot Spring Ranch.