Directions
Oak Hollow is located in Lehi, Utah. Also known as Oak Hollow Reservoir, the water sits just off the point of the mountain. You can access the pond from the Thanksgiving point exit of I15. Head west and turn north at the Maverik which is North Thanksgiving Way. Keep heading north on Ashton Blvd and continue north on Pilgrim Loop and Pilgrim Rock. Go past the Younique building towards Jordan Narrows Park. If you want to use maps or Sat Nav as Bluey calls it just put Jordan Narrows Park and select the Lehi option on Pilgrim Rock Cove.
The first thing you will notice when entering Jordan Narrows Park is several signs saying there is No Trespassing on the property. The city of Lehi really needs to do a better job of labeling this area. The signs are referring to the headgates that control the irrigation systems in the dirt areas off the paths. Once you get 30 feet past the No Tresspassing signs there are signs saying Welcome to Jordan Narrows Parks and they have hour of operations on them.
Head to the west side of the park. There are several dirt areas you can park at. From the small building near the tracks at the west side of the park follow the dirt road north for a few hundred feet. There you will see the pond.
Once again you will see more No Trespassing signs. These signs are referring to the building and the culverts with headgate irrigation systems. You will see another sign saying to stay off the railroad tracks which are private property. There is also a sign saying you cannot access the river or you will be towed. This is referring to the Jordan River that is across the railroad tracks. Although if you walk down the road next to the railroad track you can even eventually access the river without crossing them or trespassing. There has been a history of vandalism and graffiti in this area. Lehi city has stated they are trying to lock the area down to deter these actions. Although if someone is going to do illegal activities why would they care if they were trespassing?
There is a lot of misinformation about this pond being open to the public. I can say with 100% confidence that this pond is open to the public. I work next door to it and I visit the pond at least 3 times a week. I've talked to the Lehi City workers 40 plus times. As long as you're mindful of the the irrigation headgates and don't litter you should have no problem fishing here. Scroll down to the Private Property Vs Angler Access section for more info.
Fishing Info
There are at least three different species of fish. Likely catch is Bluegill and possible catch is large mouth bass and green sunfish.
For a more detailed bass fishing report checkout the write up from Kraken Bass.
There is no history of fish stocking for the reservoir. Fish are sustained by wild reproduction only. I would recommend catch and release due to most of the population of fish being small in size, and the lack of fish stocking.
This is a shallow pond with lots of weeds and grass growing off the bottom. This creates excellent structure for fish to hide in. It also can be a pain to fish in since the grass will get caught on your lure. I would recommend a floating lure that stays mostly on the surface or is slow sinking.
Trails
There is a system of trails that lead around 80% of the pond. These trails can be accessed through the tall trees on the southwest side of the pond. Following the trails can lead to better fishing spots. They can also lead to injury. The trails are steep and uneven. I've slid down them multiple times. The trails lead through sage brush, thistle and thorny Russian Olive trees. I wouldn't recommend following them if you have walking issues or are dressed with lots of skin exposed. The Russian Olive trees will reach out scratch the crap out of you. Most people that fish the pond stick to the west side by the railroad tracks. That is the easiest access points. The shore access on the north, east, and south side are private property. Some of the trails that encompass the pond may be on private property.
Other Info
The water in this reservoir is used for secondary irrigation for the city of Lehi. When boomers talk about drinking out of a water hose, they are talking about drinking the green algae water from this nasty pond.
Private Property Vs Angler Access
I've seen a bit of discussion online of people saying this pond is private property. Below is a map of the property owners of the pond. Oak Hollow Reservoir is owned by Utah County and managed by Lehi City. It's primary purpose is for irrigation. Old Castle MMG is the land owner of the land on the north, east, and south side of the pond. Utah County owns the west shore of the pond. If you are worried about trespassing stay on the west side of the pond which is the side by the railroad tracks. Check out the Utah County Parcel Map for more info.
History of Oak Hollow.
Limestone Coke and Sugar
In 1915, 20,000 tons of lime rock were quarried in Oak Hollow. This was excited news for the area. The Limestone would eventually end up at the Lehi Sugar Factory which was next to Mill Pond. Prior to this limestone had to be delivered all the way from Santaquin. Most of you that are reading this are probably not asking your self, why they would use limestone to make sugar. For that 1% that likes to ask questions like myself, here is the answer.
In the late 1800's and early 1900's of Utah sugar was made from beets. Sugar beets were able to grow in Utah's harsh climate. A sugar mill was built which was called the Lehi Sugar Factory. Sugar beets were one of the main crops grown in Utah and Idaho around that time. The sugar factory would take the sugar beets and crush them in order to extract a raw sugary juice. This juice contained a lot of impurities. They would then get Lime from lime stone and heat the lime stone in a kiln. This would produced slaked lime. The sugar factory would then mix the slaked lime with the raw sugar extract. The slaked lime also called calcium hydroxide would react with the impurities and clump into little pockets of calcium salt. The sugar factory would then mix carbon dioxide into the raw sugar salt mix. They would get the carbon dioxide from baking coke or coal in kilns which are still found all over Utah county. The carbon dioxide would then clump together with the calcium hydroxide and sink to the bottom of the sugar stew. The sugar factory could then scoop the top of the mix off to get clean sugar. They would then just need to boil the sugar and evaporate it to get sugar crystals.
The limestone that came from Oak Hollow was said to be remarkably pure. This was highly satisfactory for sugar making purposes.
Currently the Staker Parsons Point West construction company operates in this location. They mainly supply gravel, crushed rock, ready mixed concrete, and asphalt.
The Execution of Enoch Davis.
The Murder
In June of 1892, in the city of Vernal there was a murder. After an investigation the body of Louise Davis was found hidden in a potato hole in the ground. Her head had a blunt impact which was determined to be from repeated blows of six-shooter. Her husband Enoch Davis was on the run and it took a posse from the White Rocks Agency multiple days to arrest him. After his trial he was convicted and moved to the Utah Penitentiary.
From the Vernal Express 10/06/1892 - Enoch Davis, the wife murderer is a crazed looking creature of dark complexion, with Wild, fiery eyes, long curly hair and lives in Ashley Fork, of Uintah County. He has a case before him dark as night and so far not a word has been said to excuse the horrible crime he has committed. It was rumored that Davis accused his wife of unfaithfulness became enraged, seized a weapon and shattered her brain with the most frightful manner. After which he took her dead body and placed it in a potato pit, covered it over with soil and run water over her.
Enoch claimed that his wife had been unfaithful and was having an affair with their family physician Dr. Butler. He claimed that he had found his wife and the Dr. together that night. He tried to swing his revolver at Dr. Butler but his wife was in the way and he accidentally hit her. During the week of Louise death Dr. Butler was several hours away visiting Salt Lake City. He had died soon after. Enoch claimed the Dr. had poisoned himself due to his regret.
The Rhodes Gold Treasure Appeal
in 1894, Enoch appealed his case to the United States Supreme Court. The court affirmed that he was guilty and should be executed. Shortly after Enoch Davis claims he had traveled with John Rhodes and had knowledge of where the famed gold fields were located. He claimed he was with John Rhodes when he was killed by the natives and managed to escape. He said he hadn't spoken about the events previously because he didn't want people to think that he was the one that killed John Rhodes. This story was then printed and reprinted in major newspapers all across the United States. This lead to people trying to get Enoch released in exchange for directions to the Rhodes gold mine.
Enoch had given a fellow inmate named Cass Hite directions to a supposed gold mine. He said he was not able to access it prior due to it being on the Uintah reservation. Cass Hite was then pardoned and soon after the mine was discovered. Cass claimed the mine was east of the reservation and he was able to access it. The mine was located on the headwaters of the Ashley, in the neighborhood of the Bald Mountain. There was a burnt down cabin, lots of pics, shovels, a broken Winchester, a old fashioned six-pistol, and some human bones. There was a lot of empty cartridges on the ground indicating a party of miners met an untimely end in the camp.There was a 30 foot tunnel with rotted timber indicating it was several years old. A fine body of rich ore was found in the tunnel with a 15 foot vein of gold. Enoch had instructed Hit that he should give 1/4 of his findings to his kids, 1/4 to his lawyer who defended him without compensation and keep the other half for him self. Word has traveled fast of Cass looking for the mine. He had over 100 miners following him around in the hills. Another group of prospectors found the mine before Cass did. The mine was then named the Enoch Davis Mine or Dead Mans mine.
The Execution at Oak Hollow
Enoch Davis was kept in solitary confinement for several months leading to the execution. From Salt Lake Herald 07/08/1894 - A symbol of despair, he seems to have almost lost the art of speech".
The Utah law in 1894 allowed for criminals sentenced to death to choose their fate. They could choose to be shot or hung. Enoch Davis chose to be executed by guns. The night before the execution Davis requested whiskey. He drank much, and slept well. The site of the execution was kept a secret until the day of to allow for anonymity from his executioners. There was a fake execution spot setup in Provo and several reporters camped there all night waiting. Then in the morning they were told to go to Oak Hollow. A small site off the railroad tracks in Lehi. This area was not well known and some of the newspapers in Salt Lake County incorrectly reported the location as Dry Hollow, The new Lehi Temple is being built near Dry Hollow and is several miles to the east.
The day of the execution Davis awoke at 4:30 and requested a breakfast of beef steak rare, German fried potatoes and a cup of coffee. On the way to the execution Davis was said to be jolly and told extremely dirty stories. At least 500 people came to see the execution.
From the Salt Lake Herald 09/15/1894 - "if this paper was to print the last words uttered by Davis it would be suppressed". "but for vileness, filth, obscenity, indecency, billingsgate, and profanity, no man standing on the threshold of eternity's ante-room, ever equaled Davis".
The six executioners had arrived early that morning. They were kept in a tent to keep them anonymous. There was six holes in the tent which their rifles could point out of. five of the six rifles were loaded and one of the guns randomly having a blank cartridge. The shooters used a 38 caliber Winchester. There was a chair placed 30 feet from the tent. It was secured to the ground by multiple boards so that Davis couldn't tip at the last moment. Davis requested the Marshal not to blindfold him, saying he wanted to look at the tent from which those cowards were going to shoot me from. Davis was secured to the chair and blindfolded. He was given much whiskey and multiple narcotics. A piece of paper was put over Davis heart so the executioners had a point to aim at. Davis was quoted saying "I have not got any heart". Four of the five bullets hit the paper and the 5th went through his breast to the right of the target.
