Los Angeles herald., 1910-10-24
TO MAKE INDIANS
SELF-SUPPORTING
Fourteen Reservations in South
eTn California to Be Placed
Under Water Systems
PREVENT LOSS BY SEEPAGE
Department of Interior Busy on
Many Important Irrigation
Canals and Wells
PREVENT LOSS BY SEEPAGE

ern California, commonly known as
proximately thirty separate tracts OF
land, ranging from a few acres to sew
eral sections in area, fairly evenly dis
tributed over the southern portion OF
the state They are often far from
TIE railroads and the markets, and
with few exceptions consist of lands
considered undesirable by the early
settlers.
The policy OF the Indian office is to
improve these reservations where pos
sible by the development of water, so
that the Indian may become self-sup-
porting through the cultivation Of the
soil!
Under the direction of the Office Of
the chief engineer irrigation work has
been undertaken on fourteen of these
small reservations, and surveys and
estimates have been made for future
work on others. The reservations that
have been benefited by the policy of
the government to enable the Indians
to help themselves are Soboba, Mar
tinez, Torros, Cabezon, San Augustine,
Morongo, San Manuel, Aqua Caliente,
Garden of Eden, Pala, Pachanga, Cap
itan Grande, La Jolla and Campo.
Those on which surveys and investi-
cations have been conducted prepara-
tory to future work are Santa Ynez,
Mission Creek, Twenty-Five Palms,
Cahuilla, Ramona, Pauma and Rincon.
VARIOUS WATER PROBLEMS
The work on these reservations is
under the supervision of w. II. Code,
chief engineer of the Indian irriga-
ton service and is in direct charge of
c. r. Olberg, superintendent of irriga-
tion, who is aided by a corps of as
sistant engineers. With the exception
of the Soboba San Manuel and Capt.
tan Grande reservations, where the lr-
rigation work is practically completed,
the work is still in progress.
The water problems vary according
to local conditions, and nearly every
expedient practiced in Southern Cali
fornia in obtaining water for irriga-
tion purposes Is employed. In the
desert country of the Coachella valley.
on the Martinez and TorTos reserva-
tions, thirty-five small artesian wells
have been drilled, averaging between
300 and 400 feet in depth, which de-
liver approximately 450 Cal. inches Of
water. On the Cabezon and Angus
tine reservations in the same valley,
have been installed, which deliver 50
and so Cal inches, respectively, from
batteries of four and two wells each.
The Cabezon reservation is supplied
with a distributing system of 5000 feet
of 12-inch cement pipe, while about 1OOO
feet have been laid at Augustine. On
section 80 on the Cabezon reservation
a pinch artesian well is now being
drilled, which should deliver about 100
Cal. inches. This well is now more
than 100 feet in depth, and promises
TO be one of the best wells in the val
lev. The irrigation work on these
reservations is still incomplete and
IL is the expectation that work will be
resumed during the coming winter,
when more small artesian wells will be
drilled and cement pipe distributing
systems installed, so as to conserve tn
water.
To PREVENT sEEPAGE
The Aqua Caliente and Garden Of
Eden reservations are located In the
same valley but close to the base Of
the San Jacinto mountains. They are
watered by two creeks, the combined
low water flow of which is about 100
Cal. inches. During the dry season
the water sinks into the sandy soil
before the irrigaOle land is reached.
To prevent this loss, the government
mile of 10-inch cement pipe on the
Garden of Eden reservation. This is
connected with about one mile of g.
inch steel pipe already installed on
tract of land purchased to preserve the
water rights Of the Indians, and will
enable the Indians to irrigate their
lands throughout the entire year.
During the coming winter about IL
miles of cement conduit VIII be in
oto1Ia1 fo,. the Sanna OTrQOS9 1ne
Aqua Caliente reservation.
Considerable attention has been paid
to the irrigation of the Morongo reser-
servation, located near Banning. It con-
tains about 1900 acres of excellent ir-
rigabe land lying under small creek,
the normal low water flow of which is
about 100 Cal. inches. To increase
this flow an inf1ltration gallery 900 feet
in length was driven in the bed of the
creek. This gallery delivers an addi-
tional 100 inches, but the combined flow
is hardly sufficient to supply the irri
gable land during the dry season, and a
further supply will probably have to be
developed. The reservation is partly
provided with distributing system,
consisting of about one mile and a half
of stone ditch, one mile of 12-inch
and one mile and half of 10-inch
cement pipe. The system will be COM
pleted during the coming winter by
the addition of number of 10 per cent
cement pipe laterals.
HIGHLAND WATER RIGHTS
The San Manuel reservation, located |
near San Bernardino, consists of q Sec |
ton of barren mountain land, to which |
has been added by purchases about
twelve acres, seven of which are irri- |
gable. Water rights were purchased
from the Highland Canal company, and !
a small cement ditch constructed to |
irrigate this land.
The Soboba reservation, near San |
Jacinto, has been provided with a |
pumping plant which delivers about 110 |
Cal. inches of water for irrigation pur-
poses. The distribution system consists |
of a small earthen reservoir, about a !
mile of earth ditch and about three
quarters of a mile of cement pipe. The |
system irrigates about 265 acres of |
land which is protected from the floods |
of the San Jacinto river by a dixie 1900 |
feet in length. The Indian school on |
the reservation is also provided with a |
small pumping plant which delivers |
about eleven Cal. inches of water, suf- |
ficient for the needs of the school.
The Pechanga reservation is a small |
body of land lying in the foothills, |
about six miles southeast of Temec- |
MIA. The reservation has no surface |
water that can be used for irrigation, |
and the groud water lies at too great a |
depth and is too meager in supply to |
furnish source for that purpose.