Imperial County CA Archives History - Books .....The Colorado Asserts Itself 1918 ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/ca/cafiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Joy Fisher sdgenweb@yahoo.com February 14, 2006, 3:28 am Book Title: History Of Imperial County California THE COLORADO ASSERTS ITSELF Among the first travelers on the new railway line was Mr. H. S. Worthington of Kentucky. He, too, saw the great latent possibilities that presented themselves in this valley and he enlisted the interest of financial friends in the matter, and tried to induce eastern capitalists to join in the project. But nothing came of it. Then in 1883 the New Liverpool Salt Company viewed the matter from a wholly different side. They filed on some of this salt land, leased a portion of the railway and went to work scraping the salt in vast layers from many square miles of these salt bottoms, using steam plows and then purifying the product. It was the economic and business end of the proposition as it then presented itself which appealed to this company. And their profits were large until the great Colorado River came down as of yore and protested to such a mercenary perversion of its natural advantages. This flood came in 1905, 1906 and 1907, and the salt company's plant was wiped out completely for all time. Then the great river had its way and left a great lake sleeping in the sun, which finally absorbed the water and left another great waste. But now the great transformation was close at hand. The Colorado was here flowing nearly fifty feet above the sea, while the floor of the valley, in some places, was 150 feet below the sea. It was thus easy for the engineer to see the possibilities for irrigation of this great sunken valley. The railway crossing this desert made a ready market for all products of the soil. And yet at that time little was known of the marvelous fertility of this salt sediment. But the early settlers were impressed with the combination of favoring conditions. Careful observers and writers of that period began, even in January, 1901, to predict wondrous things for the Valley under proper irrigation. It was seen that the territory was distinctly an agricultural section, and must depend upon that feature alone for success after its reclamation. Government students found five kinds of soil in this basin: dune sand, sand, sandy loam, loam and clay. This material had blown into the desert from the beaches on the west and northwest, and would eventually, in combination with the other soils, form good arable land, they thought. The underlying subsoil had much organic matter, including nitrogen and potash. And yet it was said that less than one per cent of all the land in this basin would prove worthless for high cultivation. But the result was far better than any had hoped for. At Yuma this Colorado water was analyzed and found to carry silt having a fertilizing value of $1.65 to each three-acre foot. Climate, soil and air therefore here formed a combination of necessary factors for productive success in this Imperial Valley. The Secretary of Agriculture at Washington in 1910 said: "We must look to the west, especially the reclaimed west, to add sufficiently to our productive area, and to care for the increased demand which the next few years will show." Here was the Southern Pacific railway, with enormous capital and every facility, controlled b)r men keenly alive to the importance of the business of this Valley, who knew that the company's interests were closely connected with the development of the Valley. Of course, the early settlers were confronted with the high cost of transportation and living expenses generally. But this was materially offset by cheap poultry, eggs, dairy products, honey and some vegetables. Water for domestic use in the midst of a desert with streams of alkali deposits was, of course, a serious problem at first. And yet it was found that during eight months of the year, after proper filtration, this water was potable and even healthful. Such, then, were some of the economic conditions that prevailed in this Imperial Valley in the summer of 1902 when the district had already become a recognized factor in the scheme of reclamation. The towns of Calexico and Imperial were well organized and the population was increasing. And yet it must be said there was some anxiety regarding the narrow stream of water flowing from the Colorado to the distributing canals of the mutual water companies. Anything that might interfere with the even flow of this water would, of course, endanger the whole enterprise. But the commercial progress of the region during 1902 and 1903 continued rapid and was greatly accelerated by the construction of the branch railway from the Southern Pacific at Old Beach, though only grading had been begun on this contract at first. The company soon took up the work in earnest and the road was completed early in 1903. This gave the Valley a great boom. In April of that year the total acreage in crops was about 25,000, 6220 in wheat, 14,423 in barley and smaller areas in other grains and alfalfa. Then there were large areas devoted to fruit, melons and other vegetables. These crops would have been much larger in fact but for the inadequate supply of canals owing to financial difficulties. But in the following year this acreage had been increased to 100,000 and the population to about 7000. In 1904 the steam railway line had been extended to Calexico, which was already a thriving trade center. The towns of Brawley and Silsbee were next reached by the canal system, and water companies Nos. 4, 5 and 7 began operations. The town of Imperial grew with marvelous rapidity, a fine hotel and various other business houses being built. About that time the Imperial Land Company became an important factor in the progress and development of this place. But at this stage some defect was discovered in construction at the Hanlon headgate. It was found too small, and the money needed to remedy the evil could not be had at that time. In addition to this, the Department of Agriculture at Washington made an attack upon the soil and they also claimed, through the Reclamation Service officials, that Imperial Valley had really no right to use this Colorado water. But as usual, these matters were temporarily adjusted and overcome for the time, however. But there were various other obstacles of a kindred nature that were encountered afterward, due, in part, to an excessive amount of silt that was being thrown into the canal by the Colorado River. There were then about 9000 people in that valley and their crops covered some 150,000 acres. They all wanted water and must have it. But even this was soon remedied, and the clouds that had hung over the years of 1905, 1906 and 1907 all vanished. But it was the beginning of the end of the California Development Company. Additional Comments: Extracted from: THE HISTORY OF IMPERIAL COUNTY CALIFORNIA EDITED BY F. C. FARR IN ONE VOLUME ILLUSTRATED Published by ELMS AND FRANKS BERKELEY, CALIFORNIA 1918 Printed by Taylor & Taylor, San Francisco File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/ca/imperial/history/1918/historyo/colorado204nms.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.net/cafiles/ File size: 7.5 Kb