Lanark

Lanark was once known as South Liberty, but as time went on the people wanted a separate name for their town. Some people wanted the name Freedom, but after six years of debate, in 1890 President William Budge suggested Lanark after the name of his birthplace in Scotland. It was agreed upon. Lanark lies three miles north of Paris and south of Liberty.

The early settlers William Piggott, John Bunn, Tom Stevens, and John Parker arrived with their families in 1877. John Roberts, James Toomer, William Passey, Charles Findley, Fred Bunn, John Passey, James Brown, Ebenezer Crouch and others soon followed.

On August 13, 1893, President Budge organized an LDS Ward with Joseph Peter Beck, called to be the first bishop. He chose Ebenezer Crouch and James F. Bunn as his counselors. Later, each of them became bishops of Lanark Ward. The church building no longer stands.

James Toomer donated an acre of land for a community building, and a school was built there. In three years, school enrollment grew to 30 students, ages 7 to 19. Mrs. Louisa Cole was the teacher. The school is no longer standing.

James Toomer also donated land for the cemetery, and he was the first to be buried in it.

By 1885 the people began building an irrigation system. They made an 11-mile canal to bring water for their crops. It was completed in 1888. Fifteen years later, in 1903, F.W. Passey, John T. Passey, John Brown, John Bunn, and William Bunn started building a dam in Little Valley. It took two years to build it using tongue scrapers, wagons, and horses. This dam could hold approximately 100 acre-feet of water. In 1908, the dam washed away which caused damage to the farms below. It was not rebuilt until 1938 when there were new landowners who organized and sold shares for the Little Valley Irrigation Company. The farmers did the work themselves using help with the design of the dam. This project took two years to rebuild. It was used until 1961 when they decided to enlarge it to hold 650 acre-feet. Some assistance was taken from the irrigation company. The project cost $12,832.07 and the farmers paid about $5,400 of it. This dam continues, and the community has fine crops and dairy herds today.

Resources:

1. Pat J. Wilde "Treasured Tidbits of Time" Vol. 1, p. 23-29