Imperial Valley press., 1922-06-06
THE BEGTNNING

The coming celebration of the bringing of water into
Imperial Valley one that will command the attention of
all citizens.
Geological and historical records show that there was
here alternating periods running back the
on of the continent To begin with the valley the bed
of the Then by the pouring in of the silt
red the mountain regions by the Colorado the
shut out from the south and by upt at which is
is San Gorgono pass the northwest the
shut from that direction This left inland body
which the of time evapoated under the fierce
rays of sem-tropical
Subsequently basin was filled different times by
the Colorado according it turned to the right or
the left shifting course through delta The basin
thus transformed from into lake, the acus
tne shells Indicate And through the long stretch of years
the lake disappeared and the desert followed Roughly
was by such this that this famous val
ley was formed.
AS a desert the valley was forbidding. 1t had every
aspect of stery It's long stretches of shifting dunes
the appearance of utter waste In the heated
the scorching made all unpromsng spot that
travellers avoided.
But there were those who in the situation the
promise of empire They understood of what exceeding
fertility the silt by the millions of tons
in the tawy tide of the Colorado They dscened the pos
sbty of utilizing this same great stream to water soil
it had created After long patience and infinite faith
they succeeded in inducing capital to excavate canals equip
them with gates and heads and every employed to
make the element of water the of mankind.
The contamination of the miracle came June "a,
On that the desert that had lain long
in its state of sterty had its thirst quenced with Hood
that created a new life.
strange plants that the white settlers introduced to
bless those who titled the uneoualled SOIL Since that
"a carpet of green has spread the valley
displacng the and the and today this con-
ceded to be of the most marvellous agricultural en-
pires in the world 1t is the largest under irrga
ton system in America.
What wonderful thing has been done in the brief
space of q years.
How much of energy, effort determination, skill have
been employed here, and what marvellous results have
from it all
Today $4,000 of this rich auvia soil under
irrigation In all the rest of Southern California accord
the latest obtanabe figures there but 3OOOO0
From this will be readily understood why Imperial
valley bulks large in the agricultural world
the credit of those who have carried out this trans
formation desert into garden must be considered
how all about wholly through the lnltla-
tive and courage private individuals and through private
capital None of the of paterna government mas
thus entered into it. Others of the greatest projects
but all lesser than this have been under government aid
From this gather how sturdy have been the men, now
successful the organization that have brought about all
this development 1t is only in this wise understand
the qualities that have proved the strength OF our
pioneers. 49,,
June % is an anniversary of such momentous and
epochal importance this valley that we'll be cee
brated every We all afford to IN our BUSY
careers that day tribute OF appecla
ton and the builders who have added this little
empire to the commonwealth of California.