Pueblo chieftain., 1921-08-15
HISTORIC time and THEPLACE
FIRST IRRIGATION WAS DONE
Anniversary Of Settlement By the People Who Were
Pioneers Of the Art Of Making Crops Grow In the
Most Sterile Ground

streams divided channels by hop
ping from rock to rock.
The appearance OF Salt lake and
its feeder river was unique and novel
but II was not like this. 1t showed
a great body of salty water and
stream of fresh water but little or no
herbaEe. There was a grand stretch
vista of fields of unknown quality of
soil but very little grass. few trees,
few bushes. 1t was a strange un-
eanny outlook unlike any the pioneers
of the caravan had ever seen, over
hung with an unnatural oriental glare
and totally different from anything
they had left behind in Illinois Yet
Young struck the ground with his
cane and exclaimed This is the
place"
It would not be true 70 state that
up to this time irrigation was un-
known on this continent: 1t had been
practiced on extensive scale in Ari-
zona centuries before; but not any
where by Caucasians. It is possible
that the Mormons had obtained some
inkling of II for IT is an exceedingly
simple kind of work, after all) from
the Pueblo Indians in New Mexico or
from NeXicans here in Arkansas val
ley, We must remember that
branch colony of Mormons passed the
winter of 1861 in camp here at
Pueblo waiting for Young and his
tribe OF over a hundred to find and
fix a location. Also that in the SOS
small irrigation ditch was being oper-
Hted on the east side of the Fountain
creek by the Mexicans of one or two
families whose home was on that side.
about where the Santa Fe railroad
bridge now is, or was up tn the flood
of June 2. opposite the smelter.
BY stretching the lima ginstion a lit
tie we could thus make the claim
that the irrigation idea was thus car
ried from Pueblo to Salt Lake. We
could set up the claim that the Pue-
bio band got It here and put IL in
practice soon after its arrival in Utah.
Be that as it may. the Mormons
are known to have begun making
wing dams in the Jordan river very
soon after their arrival. and running
bitches out from this pent-up water.
They had brought along grain for
their animals, and planted some OF II.
but the first and quickest crop grown
by aid OF the river water was that of
potatoes. How soon the southerners.
who had wintered at the Pueblo
have now no means OF knowing.
Band after band kept coming in.
strung along all the way across the
plains.
We are also to take note that from
thai great migration Uncle sam OBJ
tained 5aT men by "selectivo draft
and that these recruits also came
west by way Of Pueblo. The fact that
SO many could be levied upon by or
der Of the army colonel at Fort Leav-
enworth indicates how great cara
van OF the Mormons was on the way
west. and what an itinerant town
there must have been for several
months at Winter Quarters. Nebraska.
II the Indians had been on the ram
page about that time. as they were in
1884. and later in Clusters day. they
could have overwhelmed the women
and children and the few men left In
camp.
These 527 soldiers. tho Mormon
battalion. made one OF the longest
Journeys ever performed on human
feet. They headed for Colorado.
marched to the Pueblo" south to We
IA pass. down the Rio Grarde river TO
Santa Fc, thence across Arizona to
California. and thirteen of them were
working Bt or near Suffers mill when
tho discovery OF gold was made
There a. every probability that they
made acquaintance with the practice
OF irrigation from the Pueblo fpdians
In New Mexico, and saw the ahcient
thev got back the war had been won.
Mexico had been conquered. It's terri
tory seized as far north as Arkansas
river OF Colorado. nnd-thc main
point in this contrihution-irriEat
potatoes were being grown and eaten
on the spot where now stand the met
ropolltan buildings OF that beautiful
town Salt Lake City.