Graham guardian., 1914-03-27
Continued from Page One)
MASS MEETING
VALLEY CITIZENS

water users of the Gila valley, Gra-
ham County, Arizona. bona fide resi-
dents, tillers of the soil and home
builders, 1t was resolved, and we
beg leave to submit the following
facts and data for your considera-
tion:
That we are and for many years
have been engaged in the develop
ment of the resources of the GiIa
valley, in Arizona. That we have
many projects underway of con-
struction, having for their object
/ the making of homes for ourselves
and our families.
! We submit for your serious con-
sderation the facts and conditions
appended hereto, and we implicitly
he'll, We that after due and careful
consider alton, which we have rea-
son to believe and do believe you
! will give To our representation, that
we are entitled to thorough in
vpst;gatiun.
! In addition to the above and fore
going, as shown by the abstract of
/ The assessment roll of Graham
county, for the year 1918, there are
33 0C0 acres of irrigated lands and
il7,000acres of patented lands. unirri-
gated and susceptible of irrigation
from the waters of the Gila river,
patents to which were obtained with
the thought and intent of getting
water from this source, as there is
no other.
There are also in the Gila valley
lands that have been filed upon, and
patents expected to the amount of,
very conservatively estimated, 10000
acres, which must obtain water
from the same source: and further,
we herewith submit as follows:
! AS evidence of good faith and eff
fortsput forth for the PROCLAMATION and
cultivation of these lands. there was
surveyed and plated as far back As
, 1885. high line canal upon which
much work and means were expend.
ed, but operations had to be sus,
pended. principally on account of
the depredations of the Apache In
dians. .. .... .. ..
Later, when conditions were more
favorable, efforts were made and
work resumed. A reorganization
WAS effected. a new survey made
and the Enterprise Canal Company
incorporated, and money and means
to the amount of many thousand
of dollars expended. The object of
this canal was to have traversed the
entire length of the Gila valley and
to have brought under cultivation
nearly the entire acreage of land
susceptible of irrigation; but a series
of excessive dry years followed and
the financial conditions of the farm
ers made it absolutely impossible
for them to continue operations, but
at no time has the enterprise been
abandoned or given up. Subse-
quently smaller irrigation projects
have been gradually extended, bring
ing under cultivation smaller tracts
of land, all of which will come under
the high land canal when it is COM
pleted, and they will receive their
water from the one main high land
canal, from the one and only diver
sion dam and rock bottom dam site
in the Gila river.
And we further represent and
most earnestly ask your serious
consideration to the conservation
advantages and sites for impounding
waters above our valley. These
projects are known to and have had
the attention of the Reclamation
Service.
If the waters of the Gila River
were conserved at these points, the
great floods, that annually do thou
sands of dollars worth of damage to
the low lands of the Gila valley
would be stopped for all time. And
while the building of the San Carlos
dam would conserve and store waters
for large areas Of lands, it would
still leave the low lands of this val
ley to the mercy of the large floods
that at times sweep to destruction
much valuable lands along the banks
of the Gila river; and would leave
without hope of reclamation, large
bodies of land in the Gila valley.
And further, there are also in the
San Carlos Indian Reservation, and
above the San Carlos dam site. thou
sands of acres of arabic land belong
ing to the Apache Indians, which
could be reclaimed if the waters of
the Gila River was stored higher up
the stream.
If our development is curtailed by
the appropriation of our water to
the Casa Grande valley, many of
the present land owners and home"
steaders of our valley will be COM
PEELED to abandon their homes for
lack of water to be applied on their
lands, through the canals and pro-
jects above mentioned, and our
hopes blasted for the greater de-
velopment of our great and produc-
tive valley.
The resolutions were unanimously
adopted and copies of the resolutions
we're ordered sent to the Secretary
of the Interior Hon Z Il Mnmel