Mosida, Utah
| Mosida | |
|---|---|
| Ghost town | |
 Mosida
Mosida
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| Coordinates: 40°07′38″N 111°57′24″W / 40.12722°N 111.95667°WCoordinates: 40°07′38″N 111°57′24″W / 40.12722°N 111.95667°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Utah |
| County | Utah |
| Established | c. 1910 |
| Abandoned | 1924 |
| Named for | Morrison, Simpson, Davis |
| Elevation | 4,557 ft (1,389 m) |
| GNIS feature ID | 1437643 |
Mosida is a ghost town located on the southwestern shore of Utah Lake, in Utah County, Utah, United States. The nearest inhabited town is Elberta, some 12 miles (19 km) to the south. A heavily promoted planned community in the 1910s, Mosida was ultimately a failure.
The land was purchased from the Utah State Land Board in 1909 by a group of three men: R. E. Morrison, Joseph Simpson, and J. E. Davis. They planned to divide the land and sell it in tracts for peach orchards. They named their project Mosida, an acronym formed from the first two letters of each of their surnames. Within months they sold out to a group of promoters from Denver, Colorado who incorporated as the Mosida Fruit Lands Company.
The company began to improve the property and advertise to prospective investors and buyers. Since the land west of Utah Lake lacks any major streams, they built a pumphouse at the lake's edge, dug irrigation ditches, and installed a series of pumps to water the farmland. A large boarding house was constructed to house up to 250 workers. In 1911 the boarding house filled with workmen from surrounding towns, recruited to clear and plow the land and plant apple and peach seedlings. A steam tractor pulling a massive gang plow was used to break up the soil.
By 1912, 8,000 acres (32 km2) of land had been plowed, 50,000 fruit trees planted, and 50,000 US bushels (1,800 m3) of grain harvested. The company built a 25-room luxury hotel which became the town landmark, used to house tourists and prospective investors. Those who came to consider purchasing tracts of land or shares of stock were given a grand tour and a powerful sales pitch about Mosida's natural advantages and bright future. No expense was spared to impress the guests; a fine passenger boat ferried them across the lake to and from Provo. Locals sometimes used the boat as a dance floor for parties. The Mosida Fruit Lands Company soon added more houses, a store, a post office, and even a school. They imported two French cooks to provide their workers the best of meals at the boarding house. The company's salesmanship was effective; by 1913 some 400 people had moved to Mosida and were working the farms and orchards.
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