Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1911-04-19
HOTTEST SECTION IN
THE UNITED STATES
Valley Two Hundred Feet Be.
low the Sea Level.
Former Editor of The Herald Visits tt
Imperial Valley in Southern
California.
Los Angeles, Cal. Apr. 8, 1911

like to visit a while with the many
Herald readers whom uced to know
so we'll So I shall write few lines
about California and mutual friends
in California, and if these lines shall
be given place on a Herald page I
shall feel that we are having a sort of
visit even though I am doing all the
talking.
have just returned from a business
trip to a most interesting part Ct
California called The Imperial Valley.
This valley is situated in the extreme
southeastern part Of the state and
extends into Mexico continuation of
it reaching as far as the waters Of the
Gulf of California. Eight or ten
years ago it was as completely
desolate a desert region as exists on
the face of the earth, barren. dry and
hot. Today it is the home of 4O,O0)
prosperous people with five cities, liz
size and business activity comparing
favorably to Lancaster and Fem more.
There is no more fertile region any
where and every variety nearly of
vegetable life grows with amazing
rapidity The cause of it all is
water. Water you know is King
in California In Imperial Valley it
is the king and queen and the whole
line of nobility.
The California portion Of this
valley lies below the level of the sea
"a great hole in the ground over 300
feet deep. The Geography class may
give attention now for few minutes
while | tell you how 1t happened.
The advanced pupils may take recess
If the school masterishpess of this
paragraph bores you.
Once on time, ages ago, the Gulf
of California extended away up into
California $50 miles perhaps was
part Of that gulf, covered with water
to the depth of hundreds of feet. The
Colorado river emptied its flood of
muddy water into that gulf somewhere
near what is now the southern bound
airy Of the U. S. Now Of all the busy
workers on the North American CONT
nent none has been more faithful and
persistent than the Colorado river.
One piece of work alone, the Grand
Canyon of the Colorado will amaze,
instruct and inspire mankind forever.
And that is only one of the great
works of the Colorado river. In max.
ing these gigantic excavations the
river had to find place to put the
waste material. The natural handy
place was the Gulf Of California.
After sufficient number of centuries
Of this dumping Of dirt and gravel in
to the gulf complete embankment or
dam was built clear cross the gulf and
the Imperial Valley part was entirely
cut off troLl the other portion and be-
came lonesome, inland salt sea. The
intense heat of this region in few
decades evaporated the waters of this
sea and left the freak of nature a
territory much larger than Grant
County lower than the level of the
ocean, About FIVE years ago the
Colorado river in frisky mood started
to send little portion of it's water
north into the Imperial Valley instead
of discharging all into the gulf In
Mexico. The little stream soon wore
a larger channel until flood went
pouring into this big hole in the
ground - 1t took the combined
efforts of Pres. Roosevelt Of the U. S.
and Pres. Hartman of the S. P. to
dam the food and turn the water back,
and before they succeeded a lake had
been formed 40 miles long and ~ to IA
miles wide which it is estimated will
require 80 years to dry up.
It is the water that comes in the
irrigation bitches that brings the
wealth and prosperity to the Imperial
Valley. Alfalfa is the staple crop
cattle and hogs the surest money
makers. But everything grows there,
cotton, grain, grapes and other fruits
and the most luscious canteloupes. |
But it is hot down there, the tempera-
ture ranging from 100 degrees to t25
degrees or 1870 degrees in the shade all
summer and hardly any shade at that.
l was there the last three DAYS of /
March and the temperature was be-
tween 95 and 100 each day. So much
for imperial Valley-the hottest place
in the u S., one Of the most fertile
and prosperous, the only large inhabit-
ed region below the level of the sea.
| was delighted to listen TO a splendid
sermon last Sunday preached in Los
Angeles by Rev T j. Brown former
pastor Of the Congregational church Of