Records of the Godfrey Ditch Company

Collection

Identifier: WGOD

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

The Records of the Godfrey Ditch Company consists of documents dated 1870 to 1996. Most significant are the minute books, which span the years 1870 to 1986 and record the business conducted at the annual stockholder and special meetings. Also included are account ledgers and stock registers, as well as some legal documents and historical information.

Dates

Creation: 1870-1996

Creator

Godfrey 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

One of the many ditch companies founded to make the lands of the Colorado Territory productive by moving water, the Section No. 3 Ditch Company was incorporated in March 1870 in Weld County. Specifically, the company's ditch "has its headgate in the South Platte River in the southeast quarter of section 3, township 4 north, range 66 west, and extends thence in a northeasterly direction." The company constructed its ditch to divert water for agriculture, milling and dairying purposes. Its founding officers were Lewis Allen, Allen R. Godfrey, and Charles E. Miller.

In 1910, the Section No. 3 Ditch Company was reincorporated as the Godfrey Ditch Company, at which time its shares of stock increased from 20 to 160. The officers elected upon reincorporation were Walter T. Sylvester, C. B. Norris, and B. K. Hanbury. Within a few years, the company became a member of the Consolidated Ditches Company. In the 1980s, as litigation relating to a 1940 contract with Denver related to use of South Platte River water began, the company decided not to rejoin Consolidated.

Extent

0.75 linear feet (2 document boxes)

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Abstract

The Section No. 3 Ditch Company was incorporated in March 1870 in Weld County. The company constructed its ditch to divert water from the South Platte River for agriculture, milling and dairying purposes. In 1910, it was reincorporated as the Godfrey Ditch Company. The collection contains the minute books of both companies, which span 1870 to 1986. Also included are account ledgers and stock registers, as well as some legal documents and historical information. A portion of the collection is digitized and online.

Arrangement

Materials in the collection were arranged as two series in two boxes:

Series 1: Bound volumes, 1870-1996 and undated

Series 2: Papers, 1976-1995

Acquisition

The Records of the Godfrey Ditch Company was donated to the Water Resources Archive in March 2006 by the current officers of the company, Charles W. Sylvester, Jr., Glenn Werning, and Jerry L. Loeffler.

Online Materials

The minute books have been scanned and are available on the Water Resources Archive website. In the electronic version of this document, they appear as links in context. Note that blank pages were not scanned.

Related Collections

The Water Resources Archive also holds the Records of the Iliff and Platte Valley Ditch Company.

Processing

Processing was completed in November 2006. Materials were inserted in acid-free folders and stored in acid-free boxes. Metal fasteners were removed and replaced with plastic clips.