Imperial Valley press., 1924-10-29
EARLY DAYS OF IMPERIAL VALLEY
FILLED WITH HEART breaking
DISCOURACEMENT AND STRUGGLE
BY JAMES T. COYLE,
Secretary Of Ell Centric Chamber
of Commerce


In the southeast corner of Cali
fornla lies Imperial County. 1t is
approximately SO miles east anC
west and so miles north and south
An extremely rugged and rocky
range of mountains walls the coun.
ty ON the west and another low
range on the north and east. Inter.
national government Monuments
alone mark the south boundary
the valley, geographically, extend
ing 20 miles into Mexico. The en-
IRE county was a desert waste un-
til 1901.
The first proposal to reclaim the
desert by irrigation was made bv
DR.. Oliver M. Wozencraft in 1858,
but due to lack of interest, on the
part OF the federal government and
various national disturbances, moth
ing was accomplished at that time.
In 1886 the Southern Pacific
Railroad was built from Los An
geles to Yuma, Arizona, across
the northeastern part of the
desert A salt plant was cstab-
lished west Of what is now Mi
land, junction point on the
Southern Pacific at the north
end of the valley. A two foot
layer of pure salt made the in
dustry profitable for many
years.
The possibility of diverting n
portion of the Colorado River at
Yuma, into canals for the irriga
tion of the desert was next recog.
nized by Charles r. Rockwood who
visited the southwest in 1892. He
Immediately set out to realize this
dream and interested some Denver
capitalists in reclamation pro-
lect. Much difficulty was exper.
fenced but after nine years Of re.
peated failures in gaining the neces
sary financial backing he was sue.
cessful. Mr.. lockwood saw water
turned into the main canal in May, |
1901. This was the actual begin. |
ming of the reclamation of the Colo !
RADIO desert and the utilization of |
the water of the Colorado River.
Many Difficulties ~
Obstacles and difficulties were ]
many before 1901 but more were in
store for the pioneers subsequent
to the introduction of water into
the valley. Canals and levees were
constructed to carry water from
the river near Yuma down through
out part of Mexico and back into
the United States at a point near
the present city of Calexico. Frcm
there canals branched i'll northwest
crly and northeasterly directions,
following the highest ground over
which the water would flow, the
land between becoming rich farm
land and covering an area approx
imately 35 by 20 miles.
During the fall of 1904 a cut Or
bipass was made between the river
and canal system to obtain suffi-
cient water while the river was run
ming low. The seasonal rise of the
river came earlier than usual and
before this cut could be closed the
every effort to check them proved
futile. On August 8, 1905, the en-
tire Colorado river left its channel,
wrecked the system of canals and
began pouring into the valley.
The valley elevation ID sea-
level at the south end and
slopes northward to depres-
sion Of 265 feet below sea-level.
The first water from the Colo
rado river flood followed two
slight depressions, one on the
west and one. Oh the east side
of the valley and formed lake
at thu lowest point.
The soil is such that erosion is
very rapid and in u very short time
two wide and deep channels had
been cut nearly the length of the
valley. The cutting process was
as it started at the lower
md and worked back towards the
liver.
Finally Controlled J.,
The task, of closing the gap and
lverting the river to its old chan
lel leading into the gulf was so gi.
santic that many people abandoned ]
Ill hope of the valley being saved.
Through the personal Influence
md initiative of the late +. IL. Har-
imam, the equipment and resources /,