JOHN ENGLAND'S QUEST FOR A HOME: PRECURSOR TO THE PEOPLES CANAL

In May of 1894, John England wrote to LDS Church President Wilford Woodruff, asking for guidance on a move to Payette, Idaho. By September, according to accounts, Church official Richards had directed him to his "calling" of starting a canal in Southeast Idaho which is now known as the Peoples. But fellow Plain City citizens Moroni and Lyman Skeen had already scouted the area the prior year for just such an enterprise and found it suitable for a project that would extend to American Falls (that canal is known today as the Aberdeen-Springfield). In July of 1894 the Skeens filed their intent and a month later appropriated water for their canal.

The race was on, both on the ground and in the courts. You can find out more in We The Peoples: Two Canals' War for Territory, avallable online or at Kesler's Market in Blackfoot.