Location #136. Menzies Dam.
The table below shows the groups of people that had an interest in this property, either as owners, residents, tenants or shareholders. Clicking on the 'Details' link will display a list of the individuals in the group along with any known historical information about them.
Group | Date | Description | |
---|---|---|---|
1 | c1876 - 1894 | David Stewart and John Downie Menzies | Details |
2 | 1894 - 1904 | David Ure McGregor | Details |
3 | 1894 - 1904 | Archibald McGregor | Details |
4 | 1904 - 1908 | John Courtney Lynn | Details |
5 | 1908 - 1926 | Mrs Mary Ann Lynn | Details |
6 | 1912 - 1926 | William Lynn | Details |
7 | 1919 - c1920 | James Ray, John Halliday and 2 others | Details |
8 | 1926 - c1932 | F Sutherland | Details |
9 | c1932 - c1935 | A Manson | Details |
10 | 1935 - 1956 | Mrs M E Gordon | Details |
11 | 1956 - 1979 | A J Beaton | Details |
12 | 1979 - | A D Beaton | Details |
13 | ? - 2000 | B MacAlister | Details |
The table below shows any historical notes about the location.
Note | Date | Short Description | Note Text |
---|---|---|---|
1994 | 1868 | Construction begins on a water race. | In Feb 1868 Stewart and Menzies began constructing a water race from Long Gully around to the lower end of Pipeclay Terrace. This was later continued on to Slaughteryard Hill. |
1996 | c1876 | Construction begins on Menzies Dam | David Stewart and John D Menzies may have moved to Stewarton, later known as Stewart Town, where they were mining. David Stewart was a stone mason by trade and built his home (see dwelling #140). Stewart and Menzies, both bachelors lived in dwelling #140. They decided to construct a large supply dam and sell the water to the miners. The water rights were secured from Long Gully, target Gully and Pipeclay Gully. The water race from Long Gully proved very troublesome and was often washed out. The Long Gully area was notorious for violent thunderstorms. The water race from Long Gully carried 4 heads of water to Menzies Dam. 1 head of water = 1 cu ft / sec or 371 gal / min. So, the approximate inflow into Menzies Dame from Long Gully = 1,484 gal / min If the Pipeclay race was added (say 2 heads) the total possible inflow to Menzies Dam may have been 2,200 gal / min |
1997 | Disputes over water rights. | As a water race proprietor David Stewart was occasionally involved in disputes over water. In a court case, Stewart vs three Chinese miners over water rights, the Chinese referred to Stewart as 'Tooat Divvy' | |
1999 | 1883 | John Menzies continued to operate Menzies Dam after the death of David Stewart. | Mr John Menzies continued to live in dwelling #140 and to operate the dame and water races until his untimely death in 1894. |
2001 | 1894 | Mr D U McGregor purchased Menzies Dam. | Mr David Ure McGregor purchased the property from Mr Menzies estate. |
2004 | c1903 | Archie McGregor operated the dam after the death of his brother David. | After the death of his brother, it appears that Archie McGregor operated Menzies Dam for some time. In the summer he would walk up to Stewart Town and turn on the water from the dam. The water would be available for the miners for three hours daily. |
2006 | 1904 | Mr John Lynn purchased Menzies Dam from Mr McGregor. | Mr John Lynn purchased the property from Mr McGregor (Archie). He lived on Terrace Road, but had been mining in the Stewart Town area over a number of years. The Lynn family moved to Stewart Town and John Lynn planted a small orchard which was irrigated from the dam. Mining in the area was in decline and there was little sale for the water. |
2009 | 1912 | William Lynn took over the lease on Menzies Dam. | On 8 May 1912, William Lynn took over the lease of Stewart Town. William went away to WW1 and Mrs Lynn ran the orchard. The water races were used for irrigating the Lynn's orchard but it was unlikely that the dam itself was used to store water. |
2012 | 1923 | The water rights were sold to the Bannockburn Irrigation Supply Company. | In November 1923 the water rights were sold to the Bannockburn Irrigation Supply Company. Menzies Dam was never used again to hold water and there was no water available in the Long Gully race. |
2011 | 1919 | The water rights and Menzies Dam were leased to a mining company. | The water rights and Menzies Dam were leased to a mining company formed by Mr James Ray, John Halliday and two others. |
The table below shows a list of images related to the location. Click on 'View Image' to display more details about the image, and to view the image.
Image Id | Source | Date | Short Description | |
---|---|---|---|---|
1896 | Mr Gordon Stewart - Bannockburn | c1890 | Sluicing on Templars' Hill | View Image |
2380 | Paul Crump - Bannockburn | 2016 | Aerial photo of Menzies Terrace - taken by Kevin Jones c2001 | View Image |