South Jordan was settled in 1857 by
Alexander and Catherine Lince Beckstead. Like many of the first settlers in the
Salt Lake Valley, their first
home was a
cave dug out of the river
bank. These first homes were \"a good sized room\" (14 ft. sq.)
dug into the
hill, with large sun-dried
adobe bricks on the
front wall. Large logs covered with plants,
willows, and
mud and dirt formed the roof.
With picks and shovels, the Beckstead family dug and
built the Beckstead Ditch, which still exists today from 12600
South to 10600 South. The ditch diverted
water from the
Jordan River to irrigate crops as
early as
June of 1857. Later, the ditch was also
used as a mill
race for the
White Faun Flour Mill, the first mill in South Jordan, built by
Robert in 1895. In 1902 the mill burned down but was later rebuilt. Flour
mills were very important when
people grew their own food. Farmers would take their wheat, oats and barley to the mill and trade for sacks of flour, cracked cereal for breakfast mush, and \"
bran & shorts\" to feed
the animals.
Water from the Beckstead ditch powered the mill until electricity was discovered and became a more convenient source of
power.
South Jordan was primarily a rural farming community when it became incorporated as a town in 1935. In 1960, the population was 1,354, and by 1970 the population had more than doubled to 2,942. Housing gradually started to replace
farmland as the population
once again more than doubled by 1980 to 7,492 and nearly doubled by 1990 to 13,106. South Jordan\'s exponential growth since the early 1970s has brought all the challenges and opportunities of growth. The
current population is estimated to be 49,095.
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