Imperial Valley press., 1914-03-09

level Of the sea. And it was George
Chaffey, founder of the model colony
of Ontario, whose vision has fore
seen Etiwanda, Ontario and other
great things, who had the gift of
vision down in that desolation and
was one of the early pioneers.
And, another San Bernardino county
man, w. F. Holt of Redlands, the
jefferson Worth of "The Winning of
Barbara WORTH" whose minds eye
pictured the future, brushed away
the dust of the desert and saw the
garden that would follow the flow
Of the water.
This little story maybe exhausting
to the reader, but it will not at
tempt to be exhaustive in it's pre-
sentation of statistics, for it will run
its rambling length without notes,
only from recollection, and deal in
round numbers although telling square
facts.
Once a Sailed Sea
The Imperial valley was once a
salted sea, into which the Colorado
river flowed, but change in the
course Of nature aeons ago diverted
the course of the Colorado and no
more water flowed in and what was
in gradually sunk out Of sight or
evaporated, leaving the immense area
Of land, with the Salton sea on one
slide, still filled with water, although
it is gradually seeping away, as the
Ioutgo annually is more than the in
Come of water.
The ex-sea lay as desolate desert
until men with vision saw the pos
sibility of again turing the Colora-
dos waters into it, but not turning
them loose or in bulk, but con-
|trolled to water the land and make
lit serve mankind. Near Yuma the
water was diverted into the ancient
Alamo river and run down through
Old Mexico or Baja or Lower Cali
fornia generally westward until the
American line was almost reached
where at Sharp's heading it was
turned into great irrigating canals
First the lower levels Of the an
cient lake or sea were watered, then
one higher line canal after another
was stretched around the rim Of the
old sea until the watered green dis
placed the dry brown landscape and
the green line crept higher and higher.
And, the end is not yet, for higher
canals are being flung nut and still
higher green stretches encircle the
lower ones. And, the green horizon
extends farther and farther as the
water creeps along higher levels. And
inside these life giving canal circles
are growing the finest things of the
soil and being peopled by a sturdy
race of men, women and children.
Three Days in Wonderland
Friday, Saturday and Sunday-Feb-
.ruary 20, 21 and Washington's birth
day-three days we traversed this
inland empire of green fields, grow
ing everything under the sun, water
ways innumerable always bank full
with the fluid that transforms the
desert, ranches with cattle on thou
sand acres, cities almost full grown
of a decade-north, south, east and
west. It was a wonder trip which
only wonder writer could faithfully
describe, but it will be briefly and
ramblingly recounted.
After being graciously greeted by
the good folk of Ell Centro, the
county seat and valley metropolis, ye
editors were put in fleet of auto
mobiles which are as thick in the
Imperial valley as leaves in that
other valley of Vallambrosa, and con-
Quoted to the bustling city of Inn
perial, four miles to the north, thence
eight miles still further north to a
typical valley city, Brawley, where
an open air lunch was served.
Sound the Alamo
The machines then wended their way
over the Alamo river southeast doz-
en- miles or so to Holtville, another
enterprising city named after W. F.
Holt. A similar stretch to the west
ward brought us back to Ell Centre.
After the brown ancient beaches OF
the northern border of the Salton sea
yet unreclaimed, the days journey
through the reclaimed desert was a
revelation to all. Mile after mile in
every direction stretched the fertile
fields. Infinite variety of products
showed the resources of the, watered
soil.
Tired, but amazed, the visitors
uo,oht on rIv ro,fcheS IN inhale the fine