Keetley, Utah began as a mining community in Wasatch County, with a spur of the Union Pacific Railroad increasing the economic interest in the community for a short time. The village was submerged by the waters of Jordanelle Reservoir in 1995 along with Hailstone, Utah.
During World War II Keetley was used as a 'voluntary' relocation camp for many Japanese-Americans. Fred Isamu Wada approached the mayor of Keetley, George Fisher, with the idea of leasing the land with the promise of bringing Japanese farm labor. While initial reaction was unfavorable, the fears were quickly allayed as it was shown that those relocating were not going to be a burden on the locals.
A large, 150 acre (607,000 m²) farm was established after much intense labor to clear the land of the ubiquitous rocks. While the women and children tended to chickens, pigs, and goats, the men went to work farming sugar beets.
The settlement lasted until the end of World War II when two-thirds returned to their homes in California and the rest scattered to other communities in Utah.
|
