Directions
Timpie Springs Waterfowl Mangement Area is located in Tooele County, Utah. The Timpie area is located at the northern tip of the Stansbury Mountains between Skull Valley and Grantsville. From the I-80 highway take exit 77 Rowley Dugway and head north. Follow the Rowley Rd towards the Cargill Salt building. Cross the railroad tracks and head directly towards Cargill Salt. E Waterfowl Rd is against the Cargill gate. Follow this road east for 1 miles to the Springs.
You will go past the Dugway Navigation arrow and not turn into that small pond that forms there. Stay on the main dirt road it leads right to the springs. The road around the springs is a 3 mile loop.
Fish Species
The last survey I could find for the waters was from 1982. Looking at the water I don’t see how any fish could live in there. The max depth is 5ft and much of the area averages only a foot deep. The four fish listed from that BYU survey were.
Utah Chub
Rainwater Killifish
Mosquitofish
Largemouth Bass
The rainwater killifish is not common to Utah. It was accidentally transferred to the springs in 1959, when bass were being relocated from Blue Lake near Wendover. In 1986, a population of the rainwater killifish migrated into the Great Salt Lake. Over 1,000 of the fish were found. They were breeding and feasting on newly hatched brine shrimp.
Nearby Places to Fish
Big Springs also called Point To Point Pond. Page coming soon. Located just across the freeway from Timpie Springs marsh. A double culvert drains the marsh of Timpie Springs under the Interstate 80 freeway. I’ve read reports of the early 1980’s, talking about bass being caught here.
Muskrat Springs also called Clear Lake. Page coming soon. From the I-80 exit take the Skull Valley Road 7.7 miles south. The pond is a short hike
Horseshoe Springs. I first added this page about 10 years ago to the site. I have a lengthy update to it planned soon. From I-80 exit take the Skull Valley Road 9.5 miles south. There is a small dirt parking lot.
Rock Bottom Pond. Page coming soon. From Horseshoe Springs take the Horse Shoe Springs Road south for 3 miles. this road runs somewhat parallel to the Skull Valley Road.
Kanaka Lake. About 1.5 miles south of Rock Bottom Pond.
Grantsville Reservoir. Just east of North Willow and Davenport Canyon.
Blue Lake also called Salt Springs. On the western edge of Tooele County. From Wendover airport head 15 miles south
History
1907 The Pacific Railroad expands creating stops at Granstvile, Timpie and Delle. From the Deseret News 7/27/1907. This spring furnished all the water used on the line further to the west; the precious stuff is hauled over the line to the scattered camps along the line in big tanks laid on flat cars. Lack of water is a great detriment to the country pierced by the new road.
The Timpie train stop is big news for the residents of Iosepa. A stage coach line is established in Iosepa to carry mail and passengers. Prior to the opening of the station residents had to travel to east of Granstville. This dropped travel from 40 miles to 15.
1913 The Lincoln Highway is completed. This route heads west from Salt Lake City, going through Timpie Point, then heading south through Skull Valley. The highway then followed the Pony Express trail to Fish Springs, then Gold Hill, Ibapah and into Ely Nevada. This dirt road was the only path into northern California.
1916 The Wendover Highway is completed. Prior to this when folks wanted to go to Wendover they would just randomly head west over the salt flats and mud. This was a tiny and temporary road.
1917 A lime plant is built at Timpie using materials from the point of the Stansbury Mountains. For several years Timpie Hydrated Lime is sold for plastering, masonry, waterproofing, exterior stucco, and concrete.
1922 A controversial decision on best path for new roads to get folks from Salt Lake to California. The Victory Transcontinental highway will go from Timpie to Wendover. The Lincoln Highway Commission wants the road to go through Ely. The victory highway was named after world war one veterans.
The Sacramento Chamber of commerce pledges $50,000 for construction of the Victory Highway if the route goes through Wendover. This becomes the path and is a similar route to modern day i80.
1930 The Timpie Gun Club purchases 640 acres of land in the area for it’s hunting club.
The Young Bandits
1939 A group of robbers dubbed the young bandit gang or the reform school bandits commits over 30 hold ups from California to Denver. The gang was involved in two stick-ups at Murray, one at Magna, two more in Ogden, then three in Salt Lake City. The group kidnapped a dr in Salt Lake City and stole his car. They drove the car to California where they wrecked it.
After overstaying their welcome in California their crime spree took them to Denver. Two of the four members were arrested in Denver while holding up a department store. The two remaining members William George Burton age 19 and Eugene Knowlden Nebeker age 17 then fled their hotel in Denver without paying.
On the run the bandits caught a train to Cheyenne, Wyoming then the bandits boarded a bus heading to Elko, Nevada. Around Delle, Utah the bus driver recognized the bandits from their pictures in the newspaper. He dropped the pair off who agreed to turn them selves in. Then the bandits paid a worker in Delle $5 to drive them to the train stop in Timpie so they could try and board a train to Elko.
The police were tipped off and converged on the Timpie stop. The fugitives were armed only with small pieces of pipe, having thrown their guns in a river as the left Denver. The police easily arrested the two and extradited them to Denver where the prison charge was more severe.
2 months later Nebeker escaped from a Colorado state reformatory. Six teens in the reformatory kidnapped their warden and escaped to the nearby mountains. The teens were caught and gave up without a fight saying they were worn out, tired and hungry.
History continued
1946 Plans for a wildlife refuge at Timpie are laid out.
1950 Fish traps on Utah lake catch 3,000 mud cats which were moved to Tooele mill pond to fishing creek and to the stream known as Timpie west of grantsville.
1953 Members of the Tooele County Wildlife Federation motored to Salt Springs (Blue Lake) to seine for bass for transportation to skull valley. Seventy were taken from ten inches to four pounds and planted at Timpie Point.
1959 proposed route for Interstate 80 would bypass Granstville and instead hug the shores of the Great Salt Lake from Saltair to Timpie. The Tooele County Commissioner called this an engineering mistake. Saying the planned route would greatly hamper the county’s economy. The proposed route would cut seven miles and save two and a half million dollars in construction.
1959 Killifish were introduced to Timpie Springs in 1959 when they were brought in with bass transplants.
1960 There is a gas station and cafe at Timpie. This cafe is later renamed the Teddy Bear Cafe.
1961 Development of the Timpie Springs area in Tooele County as a waterfowl marsh won the blessing of the board. The Project calls for the purchase of approximately 405 acres of land and at an expenditure of approximately $65,000.
1961 Contractors are building 3 and one half miles of dikes and other structures required in marsh flooding and irrigation necessary to waterfowl habitat and production.
3/2/1963. Duck Marsh at Timpie to be fenced by 15 prisoners from the Utah state prison. The three miles of new fence will enclose the 400 acres marsh. During the past two years two dykes have been constructed and a considerable amount of planting of water plants. The new marsh have been developed at a cost of $100,000
4/16/1963 Construction of six miles of new fence around 1440 acre. Utilizing 17 man inmate crew.
1963 90 hunters converged on timpie Springs for opening day and 70 ducks were killed.
1964 The Tooele Bulletin 8/25/1964
Timpie springs treated for trash fish. Skull valley ponds and their tributaries were treated including 4 ponds. In the past years bass up to 6 pounds have been taken in these warm water areas. Biologists will plant fingerling bass in the fall.
1967 new cross walks installed this summer making the marsh ponds easier to reach. Walks are made of two telephone poles laid across waterways with walkways on them.
1986 Daily Herald 0808/1986. Salt tolerant killiefish has been found living and breeding in the Great Salt Lake. The lake’s salinity was 28 percent in the 1960’s, but record precipitation raised the lake 11 feet in four years and the main body is less than 4 percent. At least 10,000 rainwater killiefish were observed breeding and eating newly hatched brine shrimp. It was believed the fish migrated from Timpie Springs.
1987 the move Promised Land featuring Meg Ryan and Kiefer Sutherland films several scenes at and around Timpie.