Reuben and Mata Ence were the seventh family to move to Ivins with one son and one daughter in February 1924. Reuben was on the Town Board, the Water Board, and was Water Master for many years. Mata and Reuben worked very hard to earn a living and raise their family. Mata worked beside her husband in any work he had to do. They made part of their living by hauling wood from the mountains. They would go to the mountains and cut the logs, then have the horses drag them to the wagons. When they had sufficient for a full load, they loaded them on the wagons and delivered the wood to customers. Reuben had a magnificent team of horses and with this team he helped build the canal, reservoir, roads, along with taking care of his own properties.  

 

Some would say they were the greatest team of horses in all of Utah. Of course, if you ask his brother Milo Ence they were the second greatest. They also raised garden produce of many varieties. This was all very hard work, but they enjoyed working together which helped to form very close family ties. Their daughter Lillis wrote, "Every morning, the men and women would water and feed the cows and milk them. The women and children would drive the cows to their fields out of town to let them graze. In the afternoon, we would drive them back home to feed, water and be milked. It was very useful to have our own milk, cream, and butter.  The extra was sold in five-gallon cans to the St. George creamery.  Each family had chickens for eggs and meat, and some to sell."  My father, Reuben Ence, was the water master for years. He did a real good job of keeping water in town. His job was running up to Shem, day or night, to follow the water and keep it in the ditches. Our mothers worked right along with our dads, doing everything they could. They washed clothes by hand on a washboard, then put the clothes in a tub of hot water, boiling them so they would come clean. They made their own soap, using cracklings from pork, sheep and beef fat and lye. This was the best soap! It really cleaned the clothes and kept them beautiful and white." Water Master comes with a high amount of responsibility especially in this community where there are no natural rivers or springs flowing onto the bench.  Reuben always had to keep the water flowing. In January 1927, it was a particularly cold winter and the ice got so heavy that the framework gave way in the flume and a large section of the canal went down. This caused the water to flow out of the canal and no longer into Ivins. This was serious because the people in Ivins relied entirely on the water from the canal for everything.  It was decided that it would be best to try siphoning the water across and it proved to be satisfactory.  

 

However, the very next winter was another severe one and the ice coming down was a threat to their flume across the Dry Wash. Two sections of the canal did go and so it meant more hard work, more expense, and more worry if it would happen to them again. All the men worked long hours to get the water back into the canal. Water for the Ivins Bench was and has always been of big concern for those living here.

 

While wrestling with water issues, they were, at the same time, having to deal with the Great Depression. The depression turned out to be a blessing for the Ivins community. The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) created by President Roosevelt put people to work. Luther Winsor was the driving force behind the building of a new dam. For that reason, it was named after him.In one of his letters we read: “It was about 1933. The town of Ivins was in need of a diversion dam that would be permanent and one that would provide a means of keeping silt out of their canal and reservoir.” This was a great relief to the people of Ivins because it helped eliminate the possibility of their flumes being washed out by the ice like previous years.

 

Reuben and Mata Ence had six children, five would grow to adulthood.  They all have shared great memories of growing up in Ivins. Even with all the hard work came joy too. One such memory they all share is their Dad dressing up like Santa Claus every Christmas Eve, giving out presents to all the children in Ivins after the Christmas Program and singing Christmas carols. Reuben and Mata loved living in Ivins and lived there for the rest of their lives. Their daughter Lillis wrote about them after their passing, “Our parents had the same faith, determination and perseverance as their parents and grandparents, who were the pioneers of Santa Clara. They taught us to be industrious, honest, dependable, obedient and unselfish.  They had integrity and set the example of caring and sharing. We owe them a great debt of gratitude, which we can repay only by passing on these sterling traits to our children and grandchildren. This town will thrive and grow if these sterling traits are continued.”

Written by Cherise Ence Spencer   March 2023, Vol. 23 Issue 3  Ivins Newletter