Northern Wisconsin advertiser. [volume] (Wabeno, Wis.) 1898-1925, 1921-12-09

Colorado Desert in California.
mud, while streams and sulphurous
gases escape in Kissing jets, leaving
orange-yellow crystals around the
vents and scattering golden dust over
the slopes of the mounds. Similar VOL
canic activity occurs few miles north
of the United States line. One theory
is that the tremendous pressure gem
Grated on the underlying strata by the
deposits thousands of feet thick which
the Colorado has laid down through
the ages has caused the heat which
shows itself in the development of the
mud vents.
The Colorado has been a destroyer
on a grand scale, and a creator as
well of strange geographic regions
and forms. But one Of It's most Sig
nal achievements has been In the eco
nomic sphere-the addition Of hum
dreds of millions Of dollars of value
to the country. In this accomplish
ment the labors of the river for I'M
numbered centuries must needs be-
supplemented by brief, but all-impor-
tant labors of man.
Ages ago the Gulf Of California
thrust long narrow arm more than
$50 miles into the interior of North
| America, perhaps 100 miles above the
present United States border. Into
| the side of this deep gulf the Colorado
emptied near the present site of Yuma.
Blindly the river carried the sands
| torn from the Grand Canyon and the
upper reaches of it's streams and
dropped them into the gulf. Cubic
miles were thrown into the depression
and steadily q bar was built out into
| the salt water. Eventually the bar
was built above sea level entirely
across the gulf and became a mighty
dyke damming it. At first a fresh
| or brackish lake existed to the north
of this dyke, while the Colorado al
ternately fed it and discharged south
ward into the shortened gulf. But
eventually the river took a more or
less permanent course. to the south;
and the lake, no longer fed, and
| bathed by the intense sunshine and
| dry air of the southwest, evaporated.
When this country was first explored
by the Spanish pathfinders. a half
century after Columbus discovered
| America, this old lake bed, with its
deepest point more than 260 fest below
sea level, was one Of the hottest, dry
est, most desolate regions OF the
| North American continent-thA Colo
RADIO desert.
Retaining Fertile Desert.
And so it continued during the ex-
ploration and settlement Of the West
| by Americans. Many of the pioneers
bound for the California gold FIELDS in
the rush Of 40 passed this way,
and found the great depression If the
| Colorado desert the most forbiacing
stretch of their journey. Where any
thing grew it was typical desert sege-
| tation-cacti, grease-wood, an coca
sional desert palm. But much Of IL
| was dry, powdery soil devoid OF all
vegetation. The temperature was cne
of the highest on the globe, sometimes
reaching 100 degrees Fahrenheit.
But though the region was desert
because of the lack of moisture. its
soil was a wonderful rich silt, washed
down. by the Colorado as potentially
productive as the soil of the famous
delta of the Nile. A few engineers
recognized this and saw that since tie
region lay below the level of TIE
| Colorado river It's irrigation would be
relatively simple matter. Water
was first taken by canal to the desert
| in 1901, and wherever 1t was led che
desert character disappeared. al
falfa and other crops quickly covered
| the one-time dead, scared soil with
sheet of green, while trees sprang I'D
| beside the water courses.
The one-time Colorado desert has
| disappeared to be replaced by the
I Imperial valley, one Of the most RAJ
lnarkable agricultural regions Of the
United States. Where a score of years
ago the Colorado desert did not pro-
duce a single dollars worth Of cropa,
the produce Of the transformed I'm
perial valley now represents interest
on approximately half a billion dol
lars. And the muddy Colorado can
be given, fundamentally. all the credit.
The Imperial valley might, in truth,
be termed "by-product" of that great
scenic wonder, the Grand Canyon.
The river is doubly the valleys crea-
tor. 1t built up the rich soil from
the materials 1t gouged out in making
the canyon, and 1t brings throughout
the year the life-giving water that on
the canvas Of the Southwest has
erased a desert and drawn In an agri-
cultural wonderland