The Colville examiner. [volume] (Colville, Wash.) 1907-1948, 1922-05-20
John B.SIaterT Tells
About California
Writes of the Famous I'm
perial Valley and the
City of Ell Centre

Ell Centre, Calf, May II, 1922.
My Dear Examiner: This is the CEN
ter of the California area of the
famed Imperial Valley and the coun-
ty seat of Imperial county which
juts into the southeastern corner of
the state. Twenty years ago the site
of this town was the heart of a
desert. Fifteen years ago it was an
alfalfa field. Today it is the county
seat of the richest agricultural coun-
ty in the world and has a population
of nearly 10000 people who enjoy
the modernisms common to the great
cities. There are other towns ir the
county, namely Brawley, ffoltville,
made memorable in Harold Bell
Wright's literature, Imperial, Cali
patria and CaleXico, all of them
prosperous and growing. This mar
velous country is reached by rail-
way from San Diego, also by
paved thoroughfare covering the 1875
miles of distance and mounting an
elevation 5000 feet above the sea.
Breaking over these heights one
comes very suddenly upon a wonder
full change of scene, the wild piano.
rama in the foreground gradually
disolving into a great sea of dis
tance.
Being an inland region Imperial
valley is the hottest place in Ameri-
ca. The summer heat frequently
rises to 125 degrees. One does not
resort to his imagination to deter
mine the heat qualities. Automo-
bilists must defate tires measurably
to avoid blowouts, and repairing of
the machine in the open is rendered
almost impossible because the metal
lie tools usually employed are hot
enough to blister the hands. Under
clothing is necessarily in the discard.
Bed clothing is a burden, and those
unaccustomed to summer conditions
of climate here complain malevolent-
ly. Yet, with it all, the people are
prosperous, happy and contented.
Most of the permanent residents say
they would not live elsewhere.
The farm lands are equal in fer
tility to the valley of the Nile and
especially adapted to the cultivation
of alfalfa, cotton, melons, dates,
grapes and berries and fruits of end
less variety. Domestic herds of
horses, mules, cattle and hogs lead
as the most profitable industries.
The main elevation of the valley is
so feet below sea level and water,
by an irrigation canal, taken from
the Colorado river from a point in
Mexico six miles below Yuma, Ar-
zona, covers the country in laterals
which serve the owners of more than
100000 acres on the American side.
Being an international project an
equally large area on the Mexican
side of the boundary is likewise
benefited. On the California side
over million acres are irrigable.
When the Colorado dam on the
American side is completed the
waters of this great river will sat
urate untold millions of acres in
both California and Arizona. The
average annual irrigation cost in
Imperial valley is SO per acre, which
covers canal maintenance. The total
average rainfall is half an inch,
which is inadequate for any purpose.
In 1900 the population of Imperial
county was 0. In 1921, it was $4,000.
In 1900 the assessed valuation of all
property in the county was 0, in 1921
it was $72,000,O00. The value of all
products in 1900 was 0, and in 1921
$73,OOO,OOO. In 1921 there were
$1,000 cars of agricultural and fruit
products shipped out of the valley.
The lettuce crop of 1922 which has
just been harvested, is reported at
$5,000,000, and it is estimated that
the melon crop of this season will
erach twice that sum. Butter and
dairy by-products and honey last
year amounted to nearly 100000
pounds. These few items from local
statistics illustrate the potential pos
sibilities of the soil of this country
in contact with sufficient water sup
ply. With the impounding of the wa
ters of the Colorado in the upper
Arizona canyons from whence the
flow can be carried over the vast
spread of desert lands of the two
southwestern states a new empire
will come into being, richer in re-
sources than any of it's size on the
globe. This great project will not
ouly quicken the soil but will pro-
duce ample power for manufacturing
and commercializing the products.
IL