Imperial Valley press., 1936-06-14
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high enough to eI-or the canal
heading. From the heading the
water was conveyed by the canal to
the first empourdlng dam. When
this dam was filled a spillway car
ried the water on to the next EN-
pounding dam and so on until a
series of shallow lakes was formed
down the length Of the entire valley.
The Indians were now ready for
the planting season. Ususually the
spring frcshetS carried the main
dam cut early in the season but no
WCrry was caused by this event as
the dam had already served its pur-
pose, that of filling the several lakes
in the farming area
Planting was started with the
first favorable weather and as the
water OF the newly made lakes re-
ceded due 30 seepage and evapora-
ton the Indians followed the re
ceding water line with their crops
By the time the water was all gone
and the crops planted in the bet
e II Cf what had been lake the
first paintings along the outer edge
OF the lake had progressed alrlo-L
to the point Of maturity.
In time the entire crop was har-
vested and the Indians prepared to
enact the entire program over again
for the next season. During all this
period tho only tools made use of
by the early inhabitants of this sec
ton were those that they then
selves could make. For shoyels they
used cottonwood limbs burned flat
with hot GOALS. Most ofen thc5e
with hot Goals. Most often these
o. four inches wide. Large stones
served as mauls and these tools to-
gether with hand woven grass ropes
constituted their entire equipment
with which to do work that Wolld
cause the average white community
to spend thousands for modern ma
chinery.
Primitive Methods
Where soil was necessary in the
construction of the diversion or i'm
pounding dams it was transported
in the most primitive manner by
both men and women of the tube.
To accomplish this purpose large
and heavy grass aprons We're woven
by the womcnfo,i during the sea
son preceding the time OF "cnS5~ue.
ton work.
These aprons we're so designed
that they fitted over the sh1ul1eis
and around the neck similar t. tie
upper portion Of a seamless clCak
In use the grass apron was slipped
on over the head and the arms
thrust through armholes provided
for the purpose. The lower edges
were then caught up by the hands
of the Wcarer and sell was placed IN
the sack thus formed by ether
Workmen using either their hands
or The primitive "shovels" with
which they had equipped them
selves.
In this manner was all soil trans
ported to the face of the dam or
carried out Of the canals as they
were being constructed. Time was
of no great value and manpower
was abundant.
Dams and diversion works with
canals and empounding dams SIM
liar to those described were locat-
ed not only in the section below the
present international line but were
also made use of on the lower Gila
and in the section Of the Yuma val
ley below the present Laguna dam.
Much of the land in the Bard and
Winterhaven section was farmed in
the same manner.
Farming in this section in those
days was not for profit Farm bu
reau projects, imports, exports and
tariff schedules did not concern
these energetic and hard working
aborigines. Success and failure
marked their efforts. Some years
the crops were bountiful and life
seemed easy another season and
they faced crop failure and priva-
ton.
AT long intervals the flow of water
was scant. Other seasons saw all of
their irrigation works washed out
and crops destroyed by floods that
inundated the entire valley. Life
then as now was more or less of a
gamble, but their courage never