Arizona republican., 1921-07-03

completing the superstructure can now go on unhampered and in no danger.
 History of Project
 The Florence Casa Grande irriga- tion project which this dam will serve is the oldest irrigation project in the state. Before the town of Phoenix was started Florence was a flourishing little city. It was the seat of the United States land office and the fed eral court It was the gateway to the riches of the old Silver King mine near Superior.
 Settlers began to locate lands along the Gila and the number of ditches grew until in 1887 there were some thing like a dozen different ditches out of the Gila around and above Florence, each providing irrigation for considerable acreage
 In 1887 all of the various water rights were consolidated in the orig inal Florence canal, which was run southwest across the desert to the was thrown across the low lying lands of the wash to form the Pi- cacho reservoir as a place for storage on the desert
 The canal on the west toward Casa Grande was then built. the entire sys- tenn covering a large acreage of land. but with scattering tracts under cul- tivation. A rock-fill dam had been put in the river at the heading of the canal, almost at the exact spot where the present dam Is under construc- ton.
 Storage Considered
 For few years the system flour ished and Florence began to be talked of as one of the Vests most inn portant irrigation centers. A few of the more far sighted began to talk of storage of the floods of the river at the Buttes. just three miles above the canal heading. Finally the gov ernment was interested and the first government investigations on the Gila were made, three sites being consid cred. the Buttes. the Riverside site just below the junction of Mineral Creek at Ray Junction, and the San Carlos site in the box canyon below San Carlos Indian agency.
 Dam Swept Away A few years later, a heavy flood swept away the rock-fill dam at the canal head and the discouraged farm CTS were left with no means of get ting the water from the river into the canal. Different schemes were tried but as these various structures one after another were swept down the river with high water. the land owners fell back on the plan of put ting in temporary brush dams. which they would repair after each flood. This has continued to be the meth | cd of diversion used down to ths 1 present day. Resuit-when there was went out and there was none in the canal They they had to wait unti the water had run down and nearly all gone before they could get in the river to put the brush dam back: SC | that when they had water they had no dam. and when they had dam they had no water.
 The new dam and canal system fs to provide a permanent diversion ana headworks and canal system. Int new dam is designed to withstand any flood and to be capable of divertine | the water into the canal whenever there is much or little in the river.
 Pure Type Indian Weir This dam will be the first pure Indian weir type of dam of large size constructed in the United States | British engineers in India in tn, course of years have deyeioped thi. | type of dam and it has successfully been in use there for many years Many dams in this country of a modi. fled Indian weir type have been used but this Is the first pure type evel | constructed across any American | stream of consequence
 62,0O0 Acre Project
 The project as a whole embrace. 62.00o acres: 35,000 acres of Indian lands on the Gila river reservation and 27.000 acres of lands belonginl to white landowners around Florenc' and Casa Grande. Of the 27.000 acre of white lands to be irrigated, 1I,50' acres are in the Florence unit. ant l $500 acres in the Casa Grande unit Size of Dam
 The dam is approximately 40 fee long. but will provide for a river dis | charge of about 500 feet wide witt the shearing off of the native rocl | wall on the north side. It will be "A l feet in width counting the spillwa.