Lisa Hancock

March 20, 2016

Eportfolio Topic
1983 THISTLE MUDSLIDE
In 1982, after a combination of heavy rainfall in the autumn and a very wet
winter, the mountain just northwest of Thistle, UT, gave way in the spring of
1983. The mudslide created a 173 high dam which was a mile and a half long,
and over 1,000 wide. This caused the Spanish Fork River, and all streams and
creeks to back up which then filled the valley and flooded the town of Thistle
with about 65,000 acre feet of water.

Photos by: Utah State Archives & Records Service

(Above): Thistle Lake at Peak Elevation

Photos By: Utah Archives and

Records Service 1983

NORT

DIVERSION
OVERFLOW

LANDSLI
DE DAM

SOUT

TO

TO
THISTLE &

DA

Photos By: Kris A Yates 1983

Photo By: Geology.utah.gov Thistle School

Photo By: Desert News Archive Thistle School

SOUT

SOUT
H
OVERFLO
W
DIVERSIO

MUDSLIDE

Photo By: Tim Kelly SL Tribune Jan 17, 14

Photo By: Don Strack June 1983
The mud slide happened (above left), which caused all of the water from the Spanish Fork river, all of
the streams and creeks to back up, bringing about the flood to Thistle. There was much thought as to
whether or not to leave the new made Thistle Lake (example below), or to drain it and they decided
to drain it. They figured that the mud slide that created the damn may not be strong enough to hold the
water and in the event should it give way it would flood much of Utah County. So they used the
overflow diversion tunnel (above right), to drain the water slowly back into the Spanish Fork River.

PHOTO BY: UTAH

STATE ARCHIVES &
RECORDS SERVICE

Photos of Spanish Fork Canyon and Thistle as of 2016

SOUTH
NEW ROAD
SLIDE AREA

OLD ROAD

Photo by: Lisa Hancock, Spanish Fork Canyon, UT

SOUTH

MUD/LAND SLIDE

Photo by: Lisa Hancock, Spanish Fork Canyon, UT, Thistle Mudslide

SOUTH

DIVERSION OVERFLOW TUNNEL

MUDSLIDE

OLD ROAD CONTINUED SOUTH UNDER MUDSLIDE

Photo by: Lisa Hancock, Spanish Fork Canyon, UT, Thistle Mudslide

NORT

MUDSLIDE

OLD ROAD
CONTINUED NORTH
UNDER MUDSLIDE

Photo by: Lisa Hancock, Spanish Fork Canyon, UT, Thistle Mudslide

Photos By: Lisa Hancock Remnants of Thistle, UT 2016

PRIC

THIST

In both of these photos most of this entire area was under water. I will be using the house that is
circled as a point of reference in some of the photos to follow. So anytime I have a house circled, it is
this same house.

ALL UNDER

THISTL

The above photo was taken in 2009 of the remnants of the Thistle School (photographer unknown).
The picture below is all that remains as of 2016.

ARCHE

STEP

Remnants of someones home and barn.

NEW

AREA UNDER
WATER

SPANISH

NEW
ROAD

UNDER

NEW
ROAD
NEW RAILROAD
TUNNEL
THROUGH

BLEW
THROUGH
BILLIES

OLD
ROAD TO