In 1995, when Park City"s Jordanelle Dam was fully opened, the remains of three vacated towns were sucked under by the rising water from the reservoir. There were different accounts as to how quickly it took for the towns to become submerged, but at the time, very few residents remained in the area, as mining had subsided, and Park City had instead become a major ski destination. Deals were made to buy out any remaining inhabitants. As one Keetley resident later said, “No one had a choice ‘cause the water was a’comin’ soon.”
It’s true that the towns were small and insignificant to some folks, but not to those who had lived there. To many families, the loss was much more visceral. Personal items, photographs, and memories were left behind like rhyming Burma-Shave road signs that had once l
