VISTA IRRIGATION DISTRICT BOARD OF DIRECTORS
EARLY RESIDENTS DIVISION 2023
GEORGE S. HENRY
JULES J. DELPY
F.J. “JACK” KNIGHT
HARRY S. MERRIAM
CHESTER D. GUNN
Vista Irrigation District (VID) was formed in August 1923, when a vote of the people netted 104 votes “in favor” and just 4 votes “against”. The overwhelming passage of the vote prompted a big celebration as the people of Vista welcomed the opportunity to live in a community with ample water for their farms and orchards. George S. Henry, Jules J. Delpy, F.J. “Jack” Knight, Harry S. Merriam and Chester D. Gunn were elected to serve as the first VID Board of Directors; these five men were respected and influential members of the community who not only brought water to Vista but were notable to the history of Vista in other ways as well.
George S. Henry was the first VID Board President, guiding the development of a system to bring water to Vista residents; he was also busy as a founding member of the Vista Chamber of Commerce. His contemporary, Jules J. Delpy, was a successful farmer, a founding member of the Vista Chamber of Commerce and contributed to the formation of the Vista School District. F.J. “Jack” Knight was the owner of Buena Vista Ranch Adobe; he and his wife Mary McKinney generously donated a portion of their 51-acres to the Vista community to forever be enjoyed as Vista’s beautiful Wildwood Park. Harry S. Merriam served as VID Board President in 1926; the year that water finally came to Vista from Lake Henshaw. In 1922, Chester D. Gunn, along with Harry S. Merriam, were appointed to a committee to look into securing water for North County. Their efforts on that committee resulted in the formation of Lake Henshaw, a vital part of Vista’s water supply to this day.
The individuals serving as the first VID Board of Directors knew the important role that water would play in not only the growth of farms and orchards but also the community of Vista itself, and they worked tirelessly to secure a local water source and establish a system to deliver the water to Vista. The mission of George S. Henry, Jules J. Delpy, F.J. “Jack” Knight, Harry S. Merriam and Chester D. Gunn was to secure and deliver a reliable supply of water to the Vista community; this mission continues today and is being carried out today by the current Board of Directors.