JayBeacham.com-A Voice as an Instrument

So Why Celebrate the 250 years since the signing of the Declaration of Independence?
We are celebrating the Declaration of Independence not the American Revolution.
Abraham Lincoln said this:
“Think nothing of me-take no thought for the political fate of any man whomsoever-but come back to the truths that are in the Delaration of Independence.
You may do anything with me you chose, if you will but heed these sacred principles.”

In present day, David Barton explains more about what Lincoln meant.
The Declaration of Independence is not merely a political document but it is a statement of moral and legal principles originating from God who is the source of human rights.
The Constitution of our government is the means whereby those rights set forth by God are to be upheld.
He quoted George Mason, the father of the Bill of Rights, as saying:
“No free government, or the blessings of liberty, can be preserved to any people but by a…frequent recurrence to fundamental principles.”
“going back to core principles”.
“Times changes but principles don’t. they are immutable law that will not change.”
Those principles he spoke of are embodied in the Declaration of Independence.
It sets forth the principles and the Constitution sets forth the application of those principles.
Samuel Adams, father of the revolution said. “Before the formation of the Constitution, the Declaration was received and ratified by all the states in the Union and has never been dismantled.”
President John Quincy Adams: ” The Declaration of Independence was the platform upon which the Constitution of the United States has been erected.”
Barton sets forth six principles:

1. There is affixed moral laws that establish absolute truth.
   (The majority rules but doesn’t get to vote on inalienable rights or on moral rights and wrongs.)
2. There is a Divine Creator
3. Inalienable rights come from God.
4. Governments exist to protect inalienable rights
5. Government by the consent of the governed
6. Whenever any form of government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish government and to institute new government, laying its foundation on the above principles.
   The government that is out of control cannot make the changes, the people must.
   George Washington, Father of our country: “I will never abandon the Constitution.”
   Abraham Lincoln: “Don’t interfere with anything in the Constitution that must be maintained, for it is the only safeguard of our liberties.”
7. 
   The Constitution is the action arm of the Declaration of Independence.
8. 
   Barton also quoted Daniel Webster: “Hold on to the Constitution and the Republic for which it stands. Miracles do not cluster, and what has happened once in 6,000 years may not happen again. Hold on to the Constitution.”

This is why we celebrate 250 years.

Jay Beacham
May 2026

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250 years since 1776 Why Celebrate?

250 years ago, our forefathers proclaimed that they were a free people and not subject to governments of Kings and dictatorial leaders and that they had a say in how they were to be governed.
Then it took 8 years of war to make it a reality.
It took the colonists, indigenous inhabitants, and slaves fighting, with the help of the foreign power of France, to do it.
It seems strange to celebrate a revolution but that revolution was unlike any revolution before or since and led to the constitutional form of government that is enjoyed today in the United States of America.
Many had come to North America seeking freedom from the oppressive governments they left. Some came as free, some as indentured slaves, some as slaves. Indigenous peoples joined in the fight too.
They overcame the mightiest military power in the world.
Among the colonists, there were patriots and loyalists.
And though there were injustices perpetrated by both sides, still there wasn’t the wholesale slaughter of civilians who chose an opposing side like in other revelutions the world has seen.
God preserved and helped leaders and compatants and civilians of the American revolution.
A case in point is the life of George Washington.
As a young officer with the British forces during the French and Indian War, his life was protected.
In one battle, 2 horses were shot from under him and his coat had 4 bullet holes in it but he was untouched.
Chief Red Hawk reported that he shot 11 different times at Washington without hitting him, that his gun had never before missed it’s mark. He then ceased firing at Washington, being convinced that the Great Spirit protected Washington.
An Indian chief in 1770 said, “our rifles were leveled, rifles which knew not how to miss. It was all in vain” “a power mightier far than we shielded him.”
He said to Washington, “Seeing you were under the special guardianship of the Great Spirit, we immediately ceased to fire at you.”
“The Great Spirit protects that man, George Washington, and guides his destiny.” “I come to pay homeage to the man who is the particular favorite of heaven and can never die in battle.”
(from the Buttel Proof George Washington by David Burton 1990)
Later, the Reverant Samuel Davies said, “Providence has hither to preserved (Him)…for some important service to his country.”
During the war for independence in 1777, at the battle of Princeton, Washington rode his horse 30 yards away form the British firing at him and not being hit yelled to his men, “come parade with me my fine fellows, we will have them soon.
During Valley Forge, the patriot forces were saved through prayer and the assistance of the French.
Washington himself often referred to being preserved by divine providence.
US President Calvin Cooledge said this of Wahington:
“Washington was the directing spirit, without which there would have been no independence, no Union, no constitution, and no Republic…we cannot yet estimate him, we can only indicate a reverence for him and thank the divine providence which kept him to serve and inspire his fellowmen.”
June 8, 1783 in a circular letter to the States, Washington wrote:
“I now make it my earnest prayer, that God would…most graciously be pleased to dispose us all to do justice, to love mercy and to demean ourselves, with that Charity, humility, and specific temper of mind, which were the characteristics of the Divine Author of our blessed religion and without our humble imitation of whose example in these things, we can never hope to be a happy nation”
Many of the descendence of my Pilgrim ancestors, other European ancestors, and indigenous ancestors fought in that war for freedom. They were raised up to this very purpose, to secure our present enjoyed liberties. (D,& C. 101:80)
Western pioneer and colonizer Brigham Young said this:
“We believe that the Lord has been preparing that when he should bring forth his work, that, when the set time should fully come, there might be a place upon his footstool where sufficient liberty of conscience should exist, that his Saints might dwell in peace under a broad panoply of constitutional law and equal rights. (panopy means something that is a protective covering.)
In the view we consider that the men in the revolution were inspired by the Almighty, to throw off the shackles of the mother government, with her established religion.
For this cause were Adams, Jefferson, Franklin, Washington, and a host of others inspired to deeds of resistence to the acts of the King of Great Britain…in thus establishing a new government upon a principle of greater freedom, a basis of self government allowing the free exercise of religious worship.
It was the voice of the Lord inspiring all those worthy men who bore influence in those trying times, not only to go forth in battle but to exercise wisdom in council, fortitude, courage, and endurance in the tented field, as well as subsequently to form and adopt those wise and efficient measures which secured to themselves and suceeding generations, the blessings of a free and independent government.”
The freedoms many earlier had longed for and come to this land for, were finally secured.
Why should this matter so much to you and I?
Well many of those men were our ancestors and related to our ancestors.
Some of the prominent of the revolution are related to me and most likely to you too.
General George Washington is a 5th cousin 8 times removed
John Adams is a 3rd cousin 8 times removed
Samuel Adams is a 4th cousin 7 times removed
Benjamon franklin is a 2nd cousin 8 times removed
Thomas Jefferson is a 4th cousin 7 times removed
Major General Nathanael Greene is a 3rd cousin 7 times removed
John Hancock is a 7th cousin 7 times removed
Richard Henry Lee is a 5th cousin 6 times removed
You should look up how many of them and others are related to you.
So in this year of the celebration of 250 years since the Declaration of Independence was written, instead of just thinking of the fife player, the drummer and the flag bearer, why don’t you consider how close you are to those who made this republic possible.
Let us remember and honor those who offered their lives, liberty, fortunes, and honor so that we can enjoy the government they fought for and many died for.
by Jay Beacham
April 2026

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Now it’s September 2023

My Space went the way of the world.

And singsnap wants you to sign up to listen.

The link now is “Hear Me Sing On You Tube” at
leobennachoben or Jay Beacham

Now in 2023, there are song recordings on Sound Cloud and Voices.com that link from the blogroll.

Or there are some SingSnap recordings links on the home page: JayBeacham.com-A Voice as an Instrument

Look at the playlists of other songs at: JayBeacham.com-A Voice as an Instrument » Products Page cd Playlists

Thank you for listening.

Testimonials:

Marvin Gubler said:
Jay “danke sehr fur das lied. Du hat immer eine gute stimme gehabt.
Alles gute Marv und Deanne”

You were born for the stage, Jay. I love the combo of Jay and Broadway!!!!

Wonderful!!!! ~ Gregory

This is fantastic!!!!!!!!!!!!! You have the most voice capabilities of any one I know!– Bee A.

This is amazing … You are sounding like this song was written just for you….One perfect performance……You are such an exceptional singer”-Karen

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From November 1955 to April 1975, there was a war in Vietnam, Loas and Cambodia known as the Vietnam War.

American military personnel were there from 1959 to the end in 1975, when they withdrew from Vietnam.

During that time tons of chemicals were dumped on the country.

Defoliants of various kinds, DDT and other pesticides, and other chemicals.

A friend of mine was a helicopter crew chief and according to him, his helicopter got in on some of that spraying. Every two weeks DDt to rid the area of mosquitos. The props would pull some of the spray mist up and cover the helicopter and crew. Upon landing, water would be hosed on the machine and them to clean the mist away. It surely didn’t remove all of the pesticide.

Over the years since then he has noticed things in him and other veterans of the conflict.

He says, “We’re all crazy.”

A neighbor near my farm was in the Delta fighting there. He is very erratic in his behavior, at times violent, especially towards the bamboo that grows on my farm. Believing somehow that the bamboo is his enemy. Attacking it with poisons, and physically assaulting it in all weathers.

Strange? Crazy? perhaps.

Two of my cousins and other friends have died younger than normal or lingered with all sorts of ailments until death overtook them. Others have lost all their teeth at an early age. The common factor? They all served in Vietnam during the war.

Was all that chemical spraying worth it?

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Today was the 14th of July 2023.
I was at the Brigham Young Winter Home portraying Brother Brigham for Historic St. George Live Tours.

Before the bus tour came, several groups, members of a Family reunion, were on the grounds and in the house. 85 in the family were divided into smaller groups to see and do things like get photos.
When I arrived and came in by the west walk, the man in the group getting photos welcomed me as “Brigham”.
I got into costume and then I stayed outside on the west side of the house and yard.. The almond trees, fig tree, pecan tree, grapevines and cotton plants and some green grass lawn are situated on that side of the house.
A group with “Brems” bill caps and some shirts that said “Brems” on them, came.
We spoke. The woman was a Brem before marrying, the man, Mister Layton. Three pretty girls of various ages and a tall son. A brother-in-law with a little girl took the photo of them with Brother Brigham (me) while we stood on the west porch steps.
I inquired where they were from.
“Mesa, Arizona”, was the man’s reply. “The temperature here is about the same but it’s prettier here with the green lawns, trees and red cliffs.”
They loved the green grass lawn and when told of the local drive to replace grass with rock, the man sarcastically said, “That will make it cooler.”
Later, the brother law and his family and the parents of the whole tribe came to the west porch. They live in Rancho Cucamonga, California. Grandpa John and grandma Ilene, father Zack, mother Rebecca and daughters Alison, Olivia, and baby and son Dallon.
They got their photo with Brother Brigham too.
They expressed their pleasure in the green lawns. “So green here.”

What should water be used for?
The modern thought is St. George area is that spring and well water is bad and should be run down the sewer but that ditch water from the rivers and reservoirs is healthy to drink if chlorine is added to it.

On july 12, 2023 the Washington County Newsletter came in my email.
This is part of what it said:
“The Washington County Water Conservancy District is paying property owners up to $2 per square foot to replace thirsty grass with water-efficient landscaping. Every square foot of grass converted to water-efficient landscaping saves approximately 45 gallons of water a year. That’s a lot of water!”

45 gallons per square foot per year.
Is that a lot of water saved?
That’s rediculous!
Replace cool grass with hot rock.

Let’s consider how much one person on average uses per day flushing the toilet in the house.
18.5 gallons
And according to the EPA, here are how many gallons the average American uses in other ways per day:
Toilet – 18.5 gallons per person, per day
Washing Machine – 15 gallons per person, per day
Shower – 11.6 gallons per person, per day
Faucet – 10.9 gallons per person, per day
Dishwasher – 1 gallon per person, per day
Average Water Usage in the United States | Aquasana
www.aquasana.com/info/average-water-usage-in-the-united-states-pd.html

Or consider just a toilet: 6,752.5gallons per person per year.
That’s a lot of water.
How much water can a toilet waste per day?
A running toilet can waste 4.5 gallons per minute, (that’s nearly 300 gallons per hour, or 6,480 gallons per day). That could increase your water bill nearly $60 per day. A leaking flapper can waste up to 200 gallons of water per day. Running Toilet vs. Leaking Flapper | LeakAlertor
leakalertor.com/running-toilet-vs-leaking-flapper/
That’s a lot of water.
What percentage of water does a toilet use at home?
Americans use large quantities of water inside their homes. A family of four can use 400 gallons of water every day, and, on average, approximately 70 percent of that water is used indoors. The bathroom is the largest consumer of indoor water. The toilet alone can use 27 percent of household water.
Water & Households — The Conscious Challenge
www.theconsciouschallenge.org/ecologicalfootprintbible…
How many gallons of water does a toilet use per flush?
The amount of water it takes to flush a toilet varies by model. Older toilets may use 7 gallons per flush, while newer toilets may use just 1.6 gallons. Toilet Water Usage Calculators
How Many Gallons of Water Does It Take to Flush a Toilet?
homeguides.sfgate.com/many-gallons-water-flush-toilet-8…
www.sunrisespecialty.com/how-much-water-to-flush-toilet

So let’s keep the lawns and the coolness and cut back on say, toilet water consumption.
Planting trees and watering greenery can make a desert blossom as a rose.
Make it cooler. Make it pleasant and pretty.
Water used that evaporates comes back in rain and snow to fill our mountains, rivers, reservoirs with water. It’s a necessary cycle.
Let’s use all the water available to us and make a paradise and not a desert wasteland.

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The Wisdom of Man is Foolishness.

What do I mean by that?

I grew up in the small southern Utah town of Santa Clara.

Around 300 people lived there, farming and fruit sales to travelers on Highway 91, the main route from Salt Lake City, Utah to Las Vegas, Nevada, very the main occupations of the school teachers, construction workers, etc.

We children were kept busy with school and work but found time to explore the hills and canyons, swim down by the river in the large irrigation ditches and visit Laub’s pond.

Laub’s pond was at the east of town beyond the houses at the east end of the red hill ( clay and shale covered with fine red sand and vegetation. the wash above it was usually dry but the pond had lots of water in it and ducks and other water fowl loved to visit it too.

Some of the town’s children swam there. Up the wash on the southwest side of the lava flow that came from Snow Canyon and terminated at the Santa Clara River. (Many call it a creek, but if seen in flood stage, you’ll believe it is a river.)

My father was the town plumber and the majority of our drinking water came from springs under the red cliffs on the east of the lava flow. He was always exploring new water sources and found one in the wash under the lava and above the clays below it. It was never developed. Cat tail and tamarisk bushes lined the wash. The tamarisk had been imported in earlier times to stabilize the water ways and grew where there was ground water.

The pond had been made in pioneer times to control the floods that would come down the wash. To the south of the dike the deep wash had been filled in with red sand from the red hill and the fields were then called the “red land.”

When sewer lines were installed in that ground going down 14 feet, the red sand went that deep and maybe even deeper, verifying that the old wash had been large..

Fast forward to the first of the 2000s. The environmental craze had hit and those wanting control of things determined that tamarisk bushes were invasive and used up water. Though no drinking or irrigation water came from where the tamarisks grew in the wash above Laub’s pond or other areas. These experts imported some kind of beetle to kill the plants and went along washes and streams and cut the intruder out.

By 2012 the tall grove like tamarisks in Laub’s wash had been killed and or cut out, the pond drained to stop mosquitos and to make ball parks etc in the place where the pond had been. The dike had been left to nature and gophers and other burrowing creatures had made the northside of the dike home.

Though the southwest part of Utah is normally a very dry, arid place, when rains and snows come, flooding occurs as evidenced by the deep washes and rugged rock formation erosion.

The wash leading to the dike of Laub’s pond drains a huge area from west of the lava flow, the entire Santa Clara Ivins bench.

On September 11, 2012, a heavy rain storm hit the area.

The Tamarisks were gone, so nothing held the wash’s banks in place or stopped the water runoff. The pond filled quickly and the gopher damaged dike gave way to the sudden large amount of water. The filled in wash had been covered with houses and business buildings and so the raging waters of the breached dike spread out over a large area and caused much damage.

The wisdom of man had been proven faulty again.

I was asked to relate what damage can result from gopher digging in a hillside and so I wrote the following letter.

Gopher Caused Flood

-News reports of that day
-Then a photo of some of the gopher diggings on top the broken dike that had been there all my life 1950 to 2012 and longer.
-Then a photo of the flood path and some of the damaged area.
All caused by the gophers not overflowing.

https://archives.stgeorgeutah.com/news/archive/2012/09/11/dike-break-in-santa-clara-evacuations-called-

-A video link of a news story 10 years after the break:

10 years later: Santa Clara dam break prepared community for future floods

Santa Clara, Utah dike flood 9/11/12

Santa Clara, Utah dike flood 9/11/12

Santa Clara, Utah dike flood 9/11/12 – 3

Santa Clara, Utah dike flood 9/11/12 – 3

Dike breaks, damaging homes and businesses in Santa Clara – Deseret News
with photosDike break in Santa Clara, flooding damages businesses, home, call for volunteers – St George News (stgeorgeutah.com)

Santa Clara Flooding Fight – Bing video
“rodent caused” the video says. this was the cause.graphic evidence of what gophers can do.

Gopher diggings north side of dike.

Dike breaks, damaging homes and businesses in Santa Clara – Deseret News
with photos
Dike break in Santa Clara, flooding damages businesses, home, call for volunteers – St George News (stgeorgeutah.com)

Santa Clara Flooding Fight – Bing video
“rodent caused” the video says. this was the cause.

graphic evidence of what gophers can do.

the following are some TV news reports of the day:

fox 13 flood coverage 9 11 12

Heavy rains led to flooding in southern Utah, especially the city of Santa Clara where city leaders have issued a disaster declaration after rainwater swelled and broke a dike, which destroyed residences and several business Tuesday afternoon.
Evacuations are in place for 30 homes in the Vineyard area due to flooding. St. George police say one home was surrounded by flood waters and others are threatened.
As of 5 p.m., homeowners were allowed to go back and assess the damage as much of the water has since receded.
PHOTOS: Santa Clara flooding
The broken dike is located along Tuacahn Wash, between Santa Clara baseball fields and directly west of Snow Canyon Middle School in St. George.
Santa Clara Boulevard / Sunset Boulevard is closed between Santa Clara Parkway and Tuweap Drive. Pioneer Parkway is shut down from Lava Cove Drive to Red Mountain.
The National Weather Service has issued another flash flood warning for Washington County that expired at 4:45 p.m. A flood watch remain in effect until 10 p.m.
A flash flood warning was issued for Wayne County and Capitol Reef National Park that expired at 4:15. Roads in and out of the park are closed.
The National Weather Service reports 3.25″ of rain has fallen Tuesday. That water is the cause of the flooding. The NWS also reports widespread flooding in Washinton County and says a flood warning will remain in effect until 10 p.m. Tuesday.
Zion National Park reports widespread flooding there. High water levels are reported along the Beaver Dam and the Santa Clara River.
Experts say drivers should not attempt to drive into areas where water is covering the road.
(Anyone with video of the flood can upload the footage to YouTube and email FOX 13 the link at news@fox13now.com)
Schools affected by flooding (via washk12.org):
9/11/2012 – 3:45pm – END
Flood Update–At this time students that normally ride the bus are being transported home in the affected areas–although a few buses may be running late. Arrangements have been made with the parents of students that normally walk home to ensure they get home safely in those areas. Thank you to parents and community members for helping us work through this situation.
9/11/2012 – 2:38pm – UPDATE
Students at Arrowhead elementary will be dismissed at the regular time. Any students living in the flooded area will be held at the school until a parent comes to pickup or authorities deem it safe to transport by bus. Parents are welcome to pickup their students at the school at the regular time.
9/11/2012 – 2:18pm – UPDATE
Schools Announcement – Santa Clara Elementary, Snow Canyon High, Snow Canyon Middle will be dismissed at regular time today. Be aware busses may be running late and parents may pickup children at schools if they desire at the regular time.
9/11/2012 – 2:00pm – START
Students that live in the Santa Clara valley will be held at school until authorities have deemed it safe to transport students into the area of Santa Clara valley or Gunlock. Students that live on the Santa Clara Heights, Ivins, Dixie Downs areas will be dismissed and transported home at the regular time today – (As of 2:00pm – 9/11/2012)

KUTV on 9 11 12 Laub dike flood.
9/11/12 reporters Andy Stack and Ladd Egan.
Dozens Of Homes Damaged In Santa Clara After Dike Breaks
(KUTV) High water from heavy rains caused flooding in Southern Utah and evacuations in Santa Clara .
The Laub dike broke, which holds back a retention pond, causing water to wash the middle of the dike away.
“We had no idea that we’d ever have a problem with that,” Larry Larson says. Larson’s home was damaged in the flood.
It’s a dike that people in Santa Clara hardly even knew was there. “It’s always function well. We never knew there was an issue or problem with it,” Sheriff Cory Pulsipher of Washington County says.
On Tuesday, a police officer spotted water coming through the dike. He ran door to door telling people to evacuate.
Within moments, flood waters tore a huge gash through the middle of the dike. It sent a wave of muddy water right into the town.
Between 25 and 30 homes suffered major damages from the flooding.
“We have several homes where they essentially had a five or six foot tall wall of water go through their main floor,” Matt Ence, a Santa Clara City Council member says.
Businesses were damaged too. One gas station was directly in the water’s path.
“You just think ‘oh, it will flood just a little,’ and then it got higher and higher,” Liisa Frei, owner of Dutchman’s Gas Station says. She watched as the water punched open the doors on the back of the building.
“The chairs in the restaurant floated out,” Frei says.
Spencer Holland, manager at DixiLand Tires says it’s a miracle he got out before the wall of water hit his tire store.
“It picked up equipment that weighed way more than a person and threw it like it was nothing, so a person would have been taken apart,” Holland says.
The city is now looking into what caused the catastrophic failure of the dike, but the focus right now is on recovery.
“Our hearts go out to these folks. They are our friends and neighbors. It’s been a tough day,” Matt Ence says.
State Representative Larry Snow says there will be some help at the state level.
(Copyright 2012 Sinclair Broadcasting Group)

(It is now codified in Section 107 of the Copyright Act, which provides that fair use of a work “for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching (including multiple copies for classroom use, scholarship, or research)” is not an infringement of copyright.)

The KSL news info:
KSL report on flood 9/11/12
SANTA CLARA, Washington County — A breach in a retention basin caused a surge of water to flow into a Santa Clara neighborhood Tuesday, resulting in flood damage to at least 25 homes and a dozen businesses, forcing residents to evacuate.
The break
The dike, categorized as a high-risk dam once homes and businesses were built below it, was scheduled to be rebuilt, said Ron Whitehead, Washington County public works director. The basin originally was built to protect the nearby highway, but expansion gradually surrounded it with structures.
“It’s just been there for years,” Whitehead said. “We never had a problem with it. It never filled up as fast as it did like this. Today we had some big thunderstorms that put a lot of water over the drainage area and just filled it up fast, and it wouldn’t hold.”
A dike break near Snow Canyon Middle School caused flooding in southern Utah Tuesday, Sept. 11, 2011. (Photo: Lacie Tinker)
Whitehead, who witnessed the dike break Tuesday, said water began seeping through the top of the dam and as the earthen face eroded and pressure built up behind it. The breach sliced slowly downward to the rock base, widening as it went, he said.
Whitehead couldn’t estimate how much water spilled through the breach, but he said the flow turned a Santa Clara park into a pond.
“If it were to rain again like it did this morning and there’s big drainage that would fill it up like that, it would cause some more severe damage,” he said.
The damage
“There is tons of damage between my yard and my neighbor’s yard and the yard down from me,” said Ivins resident Andrew Hawk. “I mean, we’re going to have to completely rebuild our front yards. We both have bridges that we access our houses from. They’re completely ripped out.”
Hawk said the flow of water was “absolutely unreal.” He estimated a bed in front of his home collected 10 feet to 12 feet of water in about a half an hour Tuesday.
They wouldn’t let us on our street to drive, so my husband and I walked through our backyard. The water was running through like a river on four or five homes.
–Wendy Basso, Santa Clara resident
Skyler Ray faces similar damage to his home, something he feared as he heard and then saw the flood approaching.
“I saw the first wave of water just crushing by this street and realized, ‘Holy cow, I don’t have flood insurance,'” he said.
Ray managed to save important documents in his home and then proceeded to help clear a foot of water from his in-laws’ house.
As word of the breach spread, Wendy Basso and her husband headed for their home, which has seen previous flooding.
“We began to worry,” Basso said, “and as we headed home, we heard the mandatory evacuation. They wouldn’t let us on our street to drive, so my husband and I walked through our backyard. The water was running through like a river on four or five homes.”
The Bassos grabbed what possessions, photos and documents they could from the basement, just as the water began to pour in. They won’t know the extent of the damage until cleanup begins.
It was only a matter of time before the dike gave way, Basso said.
“It was an earthen dam, and sooner or later everyone said, ‘It’s going to have to go,’ and it went today,” she said.
Residents in Santa Clara work to clean up after flood waters broke the dike Tuesday, Sept. 11, 2012. (Photo: Scott G Winterton, Deseret News)
Rep. Dave Clark, R-Santa Clara, the former speaker of the Utah House, has lived near the earthen dike, not far from Snow Canyon Middle School, for 25 years. Clark said he can’t remember a time when it was so full, so fast.
“I’m just astonished. I’ve seen it full only a half-dozen times,” he said, adding that his home on high ground was spared.
But in the past week, including Tuesday morning before the break, Clark said he had seen the retention basin full twice. When full, Clark estimated the dike held an area of water that was about 30 feet deep and 100 feet wide at its widest part.
Clark said he recently noticed small signs of leaking, but nothing that would have raised alarm.
But by Tuesday afternoon, Clark said the city’s engineers had predicted it would collapse. The breach in the dike was 60 feet to 80 feet wide at the base, he said.
The weather
KSL meteorologist Kevin Eubank said the Santa Clara area experienced significant rainfall in a relatively short time Tuesday morning. Almost 1 inch of rain fell in St. George, while between 1½ inches and 2 inches of rain fell onto the nearby mountains that feed into the Santa Clara and other rivers.
Those red rocks are beautiful, but they don’t absorb much.
–Rep. Dave Clark, R-Santa Clara
“Those red rocks are beautiful, but they don’t absorb much,” Clark said. The torrents threatened an area that he called “probably the nicest neighborhood in Santa Clara.”
The National Weather Service issued a flash flood warning for parts of Washington and Wayne counties at 1:45 p.m. A flash food watch was in effect for much of southern Utah through 11 p.m.
County officials also closed several roads due to washed out portions and potential damages that could not be fully assessed until Wednesday.
Eubank said additional rainstorms are heading northeast from Las Vegas toward the St. George area and are expected to move up the I-15 corridor.
The Red Cross provided support Tuesday for a temporary evacuation center in the Santa Clara City Building, 2603 Santa Clara Drive.
Emergency officials said the flooding is being caused by a different problem from what was experienced in 2005. In that massive round of flooding, 34 homes were washed into the Santa Clara River or otherwise damaged after a wave of storms that caused an estimated $180 million in damage in the Green Valley area of St. George.
Contributing: Wendy Leonard and McKenzie Romero
Pat Reavy, Crime Reporter
Pat is a police and crime reporter. He interned at KSL Radio in 1989. He was hired by KSL Radio for a part-time position in 1991 and later a full-time position a couple of months later. Pat was hired by the Deseret News in 2000. Full Bio »
Alex Cabrero, Reporter
Alex Cabrero has been reporting for KSL TV-5 since 2004. During his time in Salt Lake City, he has covered several high-profile stories, including the St. George floods, the Crandall Canyon mine collapse, and the Trolley Square shootings.

Related Stories 9/12/12 KSL flood report 9 12 12
Dozens of structures damaged in Santa Clara flood
SANTA CLARA — If there’s any point of solace in the lost pictures and ruined Christmas decorations that resulted from Tuesday’s massive flooding disaster, one Santa Clara family may have found it.
A breach in a retention basin caused a surge of water to flow into a Santa Clara neighborhood Tuesday, resulting in flood damage to at least 25 homes and a dozen businesses, forcing residents to evacuate.
The family, in possession of some treasured pioneer artifacts including a shawl that came across the plains with one of their ancestors, managed to preserve their treasured heirlooms. Just a few weeks ago they took them out of the basement and into a storage facility for safer keeping.
Just a few weeks ago this Santa Clara family took precious heirlooms out of the basement and into a storage facility for safer keeping.
“This is a picture of my husband’s grandma. It would have been ruined if we left it down there,” a member of the family said. “It’s kind of a neat story.”
They’re still trying to salvage decade’s worth of pictures, painstakingly prying them apart and wiping off red clay. They do it so a sudden surge of water can’t wash away the lives and lessons of the family that came before. It’s a bittersweet recovery, but a minor victory for the family nonetheless.
SANTA CLARA — All roads are open, but with limited access, as cleanup continues in Santa Clara. A fast-moving flood caused a breach in a retention basin, flooding homes and businesses around noon Tuesday.
Volunteers and city crews started the cleanup early Wednesday morning. At least 600 volunteers spent the day trying to make life better for their neighbors.
“I want to cry. I mean, I couldn’t imagine coming out in the morning and seeing all of it and going, I have to clean this up?” volunteer Melissa Ericksen said.
The water and mud were merciless, even pushing a hot tub — which was full of water at the time — off of its foundation.
I want to cry. I mean, I couldn’t imagine coming out in the morning and seeing all of it and going, I have to clean this up?
–Melissa Ericksen, volunteer
Juliann Wiest couldn’t believe how bad the damage was. “I can’t even tell you,” she said, “There’s 3 feet of mud in my yard. The house is OK — it was a miracle, my house only got 2 to 3 inches of mud in it.”
*My note: ( Her father-in-law told her late husband Rick not to build there as it would flood.)
Just down the street, the damage was truly unbelievable. High water mark was about 4 feet high. One homeowner, who didn’t want to go on camera, told KSL News her kitchen table floated clear out to the front door.
At a Wednesday morning news conference, Santa Clara Mayor Rick Rosenberg said 31 homes were affected. Some have structural damage and several may need to be condemned, he said. Others have mud, debris and water damage. All of the affected homes’ basements were damaged to some extent.
The mayor pointed out that most of the homeowners did not have flood insurance, and it would not have covered basements anyway.
Rosenberg also praised the relief effort, including the hundreds of volunteers who showed up to help. Chris Michel was one of them, and he came from 6 miles away to lend a hand.
Related:
Dozens of structures damaged in Santa Clara flood
A breach in a retention basin caused a surge of water to flow into a Santa Clara neighborhood Tuesday, resulting in flood damage to at least 25 homes and a dozen businesses, forcing residents to evacuate.
“I’ve been through some of this stuff before, myself,” he said, “and to know what it’s like is pretty rough.”
If they’re not doing the bulk of the heavy lifting, volunteers donning hole-riddled jeans caked with mud are certainly the backbone here.
Rosenberg said electricity had been restored to almost all of the affected homes. Power was expected to be completely restored early Wednesday afternoon. Infrastructure like sewer and water lines were not damaged.
Because there only 31 homes affected, city leaders said they’re fighting an uphill battle trying to get homeowners federal relief. The standard threshold to receive aid is 100 homes or more.
The retention pond that overflowed Tuesday was built in 1919 and was scheduled for an upgrade. County officials earlier said they’ve never had a problem with it previously. The mayor said it likely will be rebuilt.
Contributing: Nadine Wimmer, Mike Headrick, Alex Cabrero and Jennifer Stagg

So, there you have it. All that damage that could have been metigated had the modern wisdom of man not been foolish.

They could have left the tamarisk bushes, kept the pond and the dike in use and good repair and left a course for the old wash and it’s waters to flow in. Because you can’t fool Mother Nature.

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In February 2012, I made a blog post called:

Is there a best Social Network?“

Social Networks.

I have been on My Space the longest.

Then Facebook, Stumbleupon, Twitter, Linkedin, etc.

When I didn’t record more on My Space K-solo Karaoke site, a fellow singer invited me to SingSnap.

I’ve been on Karaoke Play, Karaoke for Cash, Karaoke Channel. K-solo, and Sing Snap.

I like Twitter and my connections with people on a number of other sites.

And for the time my daughter has lived in the South Pacific, I’ve found Facebook invaluable in keeping in touch with her. She messaged me from Figi today. Weather is sunny and no rain so the plane may leave as scheduled.

I’ve run into many problems at some of these sites.

but the most frustrating ones seem to be at Facebook.

Let me explain some of those with my post, the responses and my take on things as follows: – link-   go to this link and subscribe.”

The link is no longer any good.

There have been many changes since then.

Stumbledupon is no longer. My Space was sold and that blog feature doesn’t exist now. I was blocked from Facebook but a hacker from Texas was allowed into my personal and two business pages. I need two phase verification but the hacker didn’t. One of my former email providers doesn’t provide email service now, so I can’t get a verification from them and can’t change email addresses without logging in, which I can’t do. So why even go there? If I create a new account, I still won’t be able to get to the former three pages. This could be solved if a real person could be contacted which Facebook doesn’t allow.

So for me none of those former sites are not an option.

Also that year in January, I wrote and asked others on Facebook about our experiences:

“

1/28/2012
Question of all friends:
How do you respond to this?
“We received feedback that you sent friend requests to people you don’t know, so you won’t be able to send friend requests for 30 days. Learn more.””If you think you’re seeing this by mistake, please let us know.”

If I try to request a friend of someone I know I get this message.
How does one “let us know”?
Can’t even send a message to my own brother because I can’t possibly know him.
I know a girl, her grandfather sings with me in the Master Singers, I knew his parents, know his brothers and sister, but fb claims I can’t know them because we have no mutual friends. But I get hundreds of “why not add as friends suggestions from fb for people I’ve never heard of just because we have mutual friends.
Do these actions by fb make any sense to anyone?

Some responses:

Accalia Hancey Hinton: Strange… I don’t know, maybe close your account and start a new one??
January 29 at 1:56am

Relle Hansen: I’ve made a few requests that were not friends of friends when I found them by facebook search, but maybe they’ve changed their policy, though they still offer “search friends”. Could you make requests via Email address? That’s how I got my first friends – imported from my Email contacts list….
January 29 at 2:11am ·
Jay Beacham I’ll try that Relle.
January 29 at 2:14am ·

Steve Brunton: Isn’t this called a social networK? I have made a lot of friends that I wouldn’t of known had I not sent out friend invites to friends of friends but apparently if someone complains, which I don’t understand why they would, all they have to do is decline, big brother facebook steps in and cuts you off from sending out anymore. Apparantly, if someone doesn’t respond in a timely manner it is considered you sending someone a request you don’t know. I have had this happen as well Jay. The other thing is, they do this and there is no way to fight it, it is like guilty before innocent. Maybe it’s time to start a petition like they did to get the banks to back down from adding fees. I am glad you brought this up, it has bothered me as well.
January 29 at 7:58am ·

Relle Hansen: Another tactic might be, when you do know the prospective fb friend, to call them or ask them in person, giving them your E address to “friend” YOU! Or you can Email them the request if you have their E address…
January 29 at 2:09pm ·

Sandy Davison: Wow, that’s crazy. A request for a friend is just that. They can always deny it! They don’t know what they are missing, Jay!
January 29 at 2:40pm ·
Jay Beacham: ofttimes I don’t know the e-mail address. That is what linkedin demands. Like I ask people for their email address and not their phone number.
January 30 at 1:12am ·
Jay Beacham: Almost as if a person doesn’t exist unless they have an email address and everyone knows what it is, as if there were directories published like phone books telling us everyone’s email address. Let’s start one of those and put it out in hard copy. Steve, I like your idea of a petition. Where do we start to petition FB?
January 30 at 1:16am ·
Jay Beacham: Do you folks mind if I use your ideas in my weekly video blog?
January 30 at 1:17am ·
Steve Swapp: No, they don’t. It’s nonsense. If someone doesn’t want to be my friend on Facebook, it’s easy for them to deny my request. February 2 at 3:05pm
One of them said go ahead.
FB won’t let me contact my younger brother or the guy who stands or sits next to me in the men’s chorus we’re in because I don’t know them.
But 90% of the friend requests I get on facebook are from people I don’t know but have mutual friend with.
Does FB believe that mutual friends is the only way to know people?
And the tech help?
No one to email or call at FB. How do I “let us know” as the message said?
I have no way.
At My Space, Tom, the boss, emails all the newbies and welcomes them to MYSpace.
At Sing Snap Trevor, the boss, video messages everyone on a regular basis telling of contests, events, or other happenings at SingSnap.
If I have a tech problem, I get a response from a real person within 24 hours to help me solve my problem
We all have the common interest in the love of singing.
If I record a song and people come to comment on it, I listen to a recording or more of theirs and comment and visa versa.
There is messaging, which is as good as online chat.
If someone is ill, prayers, songs, and messages of support go out to that person.
Links are shared and people follow them whether to a SS spot or
to somewhere else on the net.
And people are helpful. If they find something good, they share and no one is offended.
People become real friends even off line who didn’t know each other before Sing Snap.
A world of difference between Sing Snap and FB.
Of the two, Sing Snap wins as the best social network.
There are others that are okay and there are those who really don’t care about the people in the network.
The other day I was in a $Tree store and a lady at the check out stand in front of me asked the clerk if the store
carried balloons that sang Happy Birthday.
No was the reply,
“I’ve got to have one for my husbands birthday.”
The lady just in front of me said her husband had bought her one several years back at Albertsons for $6.
“Oh thank you”, came the reply and she left.
Then the clerk at the next register asked if my clerk had told the lady about the Party Store as that is where she had found that item.
No, she hadn’t thought of it.
To this I said to my clerk, as I got to the register, that this was true word of mouth advertising and no one was offended
but grateful for the information.
“Yes”, she said, unlike the internet where people are offended if anyone shares such useful information with them.
Sing Snap is like that experience within the store.
People at Sing Snap like people and enjoy helping each other and are grateful for the help.

It is March 21. 2023 today.

As of today, SingSnap is the best I’ve ever found.

Last year I had a question about my fee to be a gold member for this year. I was able to speak to someone on the phone and get my answer.

(You can sign up for free to listen and comment and record the songs from the free list, so you don’t have to pay, unless you want access to all the songs available to record.)

My primary email provider, Yahoo.com, even had a phone number I could call to resolve a problem.

Sing Snap still is the best site that I have found.

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Today is a rainy day in Ivins, Utah. It’s March 21, 2023

On 9/19/12 I wrote the following.
Today I was working for a couple who live just across the street to my east.
They had just got back from their summer home in Washington state, having missed all the rain and flooding here. The rain has caused a rapid growth in weeds not only in their yard but everywhere the ground is bare.
Fred hired me to help with the overgrowth.
When almost done, he and Carol were out side, resting for a bit.
They said “Go Jay! We’re your cheering section.”
You know its good to be encouraged in what ever we are doing.
Its a shame that for foot races (marathon etc. ) and other sporting events people will cheer the participants on but in the day to day struggles that we all face no one gives a hoot.
Maybe there is something wrong with our priorities.
What do you think?

1 Comment »

a video on You Tube. In response to it, I commented:

I was born in North America. That makes me a Native American. Indigenous inhabitants aren’t anymore native than you and I. But, I have indigenous American ancestry too. Next, I can trace my other ancestry to Europe, Northern Africa and Asia. And I bet most people in North America can too. And yes, we all descend from Noah and his three sons and their wives no matter what our skin tone is.

People haven’t been on the earth for 40,000 years. Don’t you understand the word native? “My native land” “The land of my nativity” Have you researched my DNA? My Iroquois and Powhatan ancestors won’t agree with you.

A reply to me:

“I can easily disprove this ” People haven’t been on the earth for 40,000 years”.

Why does it bother you that you aren’t the first and true American? That instead your European American just like black people here are “African American”? Your native to Europe because that is where your ancestors evolved which is why your skin is white and hair/eye color evolved to be lighter than say an African who evolved in Africa. You are Native to Europe because that’s where you evolved to be European.”

I responded:

So how do you get that American Indians are European? And the peoples of Europe came from all over the globe.

And I thought to myself: How does this person know my skin tone, eye color, hair color? They have never seen me. And how can they prove people have been on earth for 40,000 years? Another commenter rightly pointed out that no one was there then and still here now to tell us so.

Then I replied;

And that is so cool that you were there eons ago and know what you say to be true. How old are you?

Haven’t got a rebuttal on that one.

This my last response to that party:

Indigenous Americans, here when Columbus came, arrived about 600 BC. Many nations had peoples who came to the Americas before Columbus.

Where was the garden of Eden? What was Pangea? When did the continents form?

How many people survived the flood at Noah’s time?

Where did the peoples from the tower of Babel go?

Europe isn’t one people. They came from Asia and Africa and everywhere in between.

Some of my ancestors were here when Columbus came,

Some of my ancestors also came from Europe, Africa, and Asia. (Examples: the Hun, Goths, Visigoths, Persians, Ethiopians, Egyptians.

I didn’t evolve to be European,

Europe, like the Americas, is a melting pot.

We are all related.

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11/17/2022
Yesterday I drove west on Old Dixie Highway 91 from 400 West in Ivins. No waiting was needed to turn right onto the 2 lane highway.
Later in the day, I drove back from the west the same way, turning in on 400 West to go back to Center street. I didn’t have to wait to make the left hand turn.
Last week I drove from my house on Center street in Ivins to 400 West and then across Old Dixie Highwy 91 to Red Mountain Tire and Service. No waiting was required to cross the highway. I crosed the road just fine and returned the same way. A straight drive not hindered by traffic or a roundabout.

Old Highway 91 street sign in Ivins, Utah, Jan. 20, 2022 | Photo by Mori Kessler, St. George News

I’ve learned from some of the farmers and ranchers on the north side of the highway betwwen 400 West and 600 West, that the government of Ivins wants to construct a 5 lane highway there with a roundabout at each intersection.
This is a very bad idea.
Why?
I’ll tell you why:
It’s not needed now or in the future.
It is a waste of money.
This would destroy the character of the old highway that the Washington County Commission has designated as Old Dicie Highway 91.
It would cause traffic obstruction on the old highway, two lanes to the east going to 5 at 400 west and back to 2 at 600 west.
This part of southwestern Utah is the habitat of several endangered species including the Desert Tortoise and the Gila Monster both of which live just east of 400 west Ivins south of highway 91 and west of 600 west Ivins both sides of the highway. and south on Petroglyph Hill-Land Hill.
The Gila Monster is the Utah state reptile. Already endangered,

This species doesn’t need to be subjected to a massive unneeded highway, the distance of which is absurdly short.
It would sure be nice if the town government would use some common sense and not waste tax payer’s monies on such an irrational project.
Sincerely,
Jay Beacham
a citizen of Ivins Utah

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