When Honey Lake is full it is an impressive body of water. There have been those over the years who thought it could be put towards a beneficial use. In 1878, Captain Charles Merrill came up with the first proposal to use water from the lake to irrigate the sagebrush lands on the lake’s eastern shore. Others, too, looked at lake’s potential for irrigation, but nothing materialized.
In the Standish district, two families who were joined by marriage—Hartson and Holmes—made plans to utilize the lake’s water for irrigation. In 1909, they formed the Standish Water Company. The Company was successful in attracting investors, one of whom was Carl Caudle. Caudle was a civil engineer, who had a homestead at Stacy on the east side of Honey Lake. Not only was Caudle instrumental in designing the project, he also invested $22,000.
In April 1910, construction began on a pumping plant on the east shore of Honey Lake, about two miles south of Amedee. A 150 horsepower Fairbanks Morse engine with a 24-inch centrifugal pump powered the pump house. Eleven miles of canals were constructed in an effort to irrigate 4,000 acres.
On October 4, 1910, on one of those beautiful falls days the region is noted for, set the mood for the inauguration of the pumping plant. During the morning people began arriving from around the Honey Lake Valley to partake in the festivities. Of course, the customary local dignitaries were on hand to provide their accolades. Shortly after noon, the visitors were instructed to assemble along the banks of the main canal to anxiously watch awaited event of pumping water into the main canal. At one o’clock the whistle blew from the engine house, and within moments water burst through the pipes to fill the canal.
On the surface it appeared the Company was off to a successful start. In addition, Mother Nature contributed to their efforts, when a snowstorm in January 1911 dumped eight feet of snow there! Actually, the weather gods for the next several years were very kind to the east shore residents by providing higher than normal precipitation.
In the Company’s first year 1,000 acres had been planted with sugar beets, with a successful harvest. The following year was a success, too. This changed in 1913, in one of those bureaucratic snafus. The Standish Water Company sold water to individuals who were homesteading on federal lands. Once those individuals met the government’s requirements they could acquire the land for a nominal fee. Disputes occurred, usually from neighbors. In this particular instant, Thomas Philbin contested John Ramsey’s request for a final proof for his 160 acre homestead. The United States Government Land Office (GLO) investigated Philbin’s claim, which they dismissed. However, when it was learned Ramsey’s source of water supply was Honey Lake, it raised a concern.
