Records of the Plumb and Dailey Ditch Company

Collection

Identifier: WPDD

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

The Records of the Plumb and Dailey Ditch Company consists of documents dated 1888 to 1992. This collection primarily contains financial information and minutes of annual stockholders meetings. The collection includes a nearly complete set of bank statements from the 1940s through 1992. The set of early administrative records is also complete. The collection does not include substantial water information. There are, as well, limited documents from the Godding Ditch Company, the Wiswall Ditch Company, the Boulder and Left Hand Irrigation Company, and the Leggett Ditch and Reservoir Company. Materials include record books, stocks/stock records, checkbooks, legal documents, and meeting minutes.

Dates

Creation: 1888-1992

Creator

Plumb and Dailey Ditch Company (Organization)

Restrictions on Access

There are no access restrictions on this collection.

Restrictions on Use

Not all of the material in the collection is in the public domain. Researchers are responsible for addressing copyright issues.

History

The Plumb and Dailey Ditch Company maintains, operates, and owns the water rights to the Godding, Dailey and Plumb Ditch which draws water from Boulder Creek near Longmont in Weld County, Colorado. The company is also occasionally referred to as the Godding, Dailey and Plumb Ditch Company. The office of the Colorado Secretary of State lists the company's official name as the Plumb and Dailey Ditch Company. The Plumb and Dailey Ditch is an alternate name for the ditch. The company was established as the Plumb and Dailey Irrigation Ditch Company in 1888 and registered as a non-profit corporation as the Plumb and Dailey Ditch Company in 1912. As a member of the Friends of Colorado Water, the company was involved in campaigning for Colorado water interests. Past secretaries of the company include Milton Estes, Scott Hershey, J.D. Williamson, Niels Jensen, and Richard Frisk.

The Plumb and Dailey Ditch Company is a relatively small irrigation company, with only 40 shares owned by fewer than two dozen people or entities. The headgate of the ditch is located on the west bank of Boulder Creek near Colorado Highway 52 and East County Line Road in Weld County, which is south and east of the City of Longmont.

Although this collection includes some records from other ditch companies, there is no formal relationship between the Plumb and Dailey Ditch Company and other nearby companies. Some confusion could arise from the geographical closeness of the ditch operated by the Godding Ditch Company and the Godding, Dailey and Plumb Ditch. The companies are not related beyond occasionally having the same stockholders. The ditch operated by the Godding Ditch Company is officially known as the Highland/Southside Ditch, but is more commonly called the Godding Ditch. It irrigates land on the east side of Boulder Creek near Longmont. The Godding, Dailey and Plumb Ditch irrigates land on the west side of Boulder Creek.

Extent

3 linear feet (6 document boxes)

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Abstract

Arrangement

The collection consists of 2 series in 6 boxes:

Series 1: Administrative files, 1888-1983

Series 2: Chronological files, 1889-1992 and undated

Acquisition

The Records of the Plumb and Dailey Ditch Company was acquired by the Water Resources Archive from Mr. Leslie Williams, the president of the company, in August 2010.

Online Materials

Some materials have been scanned and are available through the Colorado State University Libraries website. In the electronic version of this document, direct links appear in context.

Processing

Processing was completed in October 2011. Most of the documents had been stored folded in envelopes; they were removed from those envelopes, unfolded, and housed in acid-free folders. A special storage box was made for one very fragile ledger book. Some pages of that book were also inserted in polyester sleeves. Paper clips, rubber bands, and most staples were removed. Multiples of documents beyond one duplicate were removed, as were bank advertisements that were included with bank statements. The collection was re-housed in archival boxes.