Newspaper Page Text
Imperial Press.
VOL 1.
A NEW FACTS
About a Great Irrigation Enter
prise.—A Year's Record
The most extensive irrigation sys-.
tern to be found in America is now in
process of construction in the eastern
portion of Sail Diego county, this
State.
The land to be irrigated comprises a
portion of the delta of the Colorado
river, more generally known as the
Colorado desert. It is estimated that
there are fully 500,000 acres of arable,
irrigable lands under the flow of the
canals of this system in this State and
more than half as much more in Low<:r
California.
These lands are naturally very fer
tile, being composed of the alluvial
deposits of the Colorado river made
during past ages. The surface of the
ountry is very level, generally free
from brush and usually free fr.»m
gulches or any
other kind of mi
evenness that
would reg n ire
much expense to
overcome.
The Colorado
river furnishes
the water in abun
dance. It is stat
ed by competent
engineers that
there is enough
watv-'r in the Colo
rado river to irri
gate 8,0C0,C00 ac
res of laud and
there is not to ex
ceed 3 , 0 0 0 . 0 0 6
acres to be
be irrigated with
in the reach of
the waters of that
.stream.
A peculiarity of
the stream is that
high water always
comes in June and
low water in Jan
uary. The river
at the railroad
bridge at Yuma is
always about nine feet higher the last
week in June than it. is in midwinter.
This gives the most water in summer
when the most is required for irriga
tion and the least in winter, when lit
tle is required.
This stream probably more closely
resembles the celebrated Nile than
any other river in the world.
The waters of the Colorado
river carry a very large
amount of commercial fertilizers. A
careful study of this subject by the
United States experimental station
connected with the Territorial Univer
sity of Arizona demonstrates the fact
that an acre foot of water from this
river contains commercial fertilizers
valued at $3.41. So that a tract of land
irrigated during the season with water
enough to cover the ground three feet
deep would receive fertilizers to the
value of over 510 per acre and this fer
tilizing material would cost nothing
extra over and above the cost of the
water.
It is this kind of material that has
made the soil of this great delta, and
t\ tV efore it is very fertile and must of
IMPERIAL, CAL, SATURDAY, APRIL 20, 1901.
necestity forever remain so when irri
gated by this water— no mater how
much it may be cropped.
This being the character of the land
and water, the next thing is to bring
them together.
Public attention has been directed to
this great desert for the last half of a
century.
In 1856 Dr. O. M. Wozencraft of San
Bernardino commenced his work of
exploring the desert, and preparing
plans for reclaiming it by means of
water from the Colorado river. Heap
plied to Congress for a land grant to
assit in the work, and Secured a strong
endorsement from the Committee on
Public Lands of the House of Repres
entatives. He also applied to the
State Legislature of California and
secured the state's interests in the
lands of that county, but the civil war
of 1861-.S put an end to this program
and the project was allowed to sleep
until the past few years.
In 1896 the California Development
Company was organized under the
laws of the State «f New Jersey,
Steam Dredger being used in the construction of the main canal.
with headquarters in New York City.
This company purchased the Hanlon
Heading on the Colorado river adjoin
ing the International Bouudry line,
purchased 100,000 acres of land just
below the line extending from the
Colorado river on the east to the
mountains on the west, in order to se
cure a right of way for the canal, and
spent many thousands of dollars in
surveys for the canaN from the river
to the lands to be irrigated in what
was commonly know as the New River
country.
Early in 1900 this company was re
organized and its headquarters was
moved from New York City to Los
Angeles. (Jeorge Chaffey became
President of the company and its
Board of Directors was selected with a
view to pushing active construction
of the irrigating system.
C. R. Rockwood.who had spent eight
years of his life in studying this prob
lem, much of his time in the field, was
retained as chief engineer of the reor
ganized company.
In order that the entire energies of
the California Development Company
might be devoted to the construction of
the irrigation system, the Imperial
Land Company was organized to act
as an agency to colonize the lands to
be reclaimed. S. W. Fergusson was
made general manager of this com
pany and the work of opening up the
dssert was begun in April, 1900, and
this work has been pushed ever since.
A hotel was built at Fiowingweil
Station on the Southern Pacific rail
road — this being the most convenient
stajjon to be used as a base of supplies.
A camp was established at Blue
Lake, about forty miles to the south,
and a stage line was inaugurated be
tween these two points.
The Country between Sallon river
on the east and New river on the west
was resurveyed, as most of the stakes
ami mounds of the original govern
ment survey had been lost.
Imperial Water Company No. 1 was
incorporated as a mutual water com
pany to secure water for its stockhold
ers from the California Development
Company. This company was intend
ed to irrigate 100,000 acres of land lo-
cated between the two rivers mention
ed.
Imperial Water Company No. 2 was
incorporated to irrigate about 90,000
acres of land north of No. 1.
Imperial Water Company No. 3 was
incorporated to irrigate about 25,000
acres of land near the bound ry line.
Imperial Water Company No. 4 was
incorporated to irrigate 12,500 acres of
land originally included in the terri
tory of No. 2 company.
Recently Imperial Water Company
No. 5 has been incorporated to irrigate
100,(XK) acres of land on the east side of
the Salton river, which tract is now
known as Eastside.
All of these companies are mutual in
character, having been incorporated to
furnish water to their stockholders
only at cost so that no one could get
water from any of these companies ex
cept by purchasing stock in one of
them at the rate of one share to each
acre of land. A contract between
each company and the California De
velopment Company provides for a
perpetual water supply delivered at
the international boundary line at a
NO. I.
cost of fifty cents per acre foot or
about two cents per inch for a twenty
four hours' flow.
The stock of these companies was to
be sold for the benefit of the Califor
nia Development company and for the
creation of a fund to construct the dis
tributing 1 system of canals and ditches
for the several m tual companies.
The water stock of the various com
panies is being sold at $11.25 per
share.
Under this program for cheap
land and cheap water rights
and cheap .water perpetually,
people began to flock to the desert and
secure lands and purchase water stock!
During the past year over two Hun
dred persons have secured land under
the desert act and taken water stock
for the same in the various Companies.
A number have also taken up home
steads and purchased the water stock.
Some have have taken school lands
and others have located Forest Reserve
scrip. In all over 100,000 acres of land
have been secured by those who have
purchased water
stock for the same.
The town of Im
perial Has been
established about
twcnt v - c i g h t
miles south from
Flowingwell, bfi
t wee ii line Said n
r..id New rivers,
on the road to
Blue lake. Here
a general mer
chandise store has
been established
by W. F. Holt;
a hotel has
been ope tied
for accommoda
tion of the travel
ing public; lumber
is on the ground
for a church build
ing and the ser
vicesof a minister
have been engag
ed.
\V. F. Holt is
building a tele
phone line which
will be completed
from Ins, tele
graph station, via Flowingwell to Im
perial in a few days.
Imperial has been formed into a
school district and it is the intention
to erect, the present season, a school^
house to cost $5000, as it i,s estimated
that the school next winteJ'^will re
quire two teachers. Thisilarjfe school
district, which . is about',- fifty miles
square, will have to be cut into several
smaller districts next year. .
In the hills to the west of this great
valley, the out-cropping 1 and seepages
of oil are said to be the very best to be
found in the state, and during the past
few months over 500,<HM) acres of this
oil territory have been tiled upon for
oil purposes, and already several riffs
are at work going down deep for oil.
In one well, at a depth of 400 feet, a
supply of artesian water was struck.
This was at the junction of theCarriso
and San Felipe creeks, on the western
edge of the desert.
As regards climate, in summer it
is hot, in winter, fall and spring- it is
delightful. The 'summers are about
the same as those of the Salt River
(Concluded on page 8)
