Imperial County CA Archives History - Books .....El Centro 1918
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Book Title: History Of Imperial County California

CHAPTER XXIV
EL CENTRO

BY EDGAR F. HOWE

   ONE can understand how the few cities of the ancient world attained
individualism that marked them for all time, and he can understand how a few
modern cities simply by the exhibit of bulk can be conspicuous in world affairs.
But can a little city of modern days attain an individualism without eccentricity?

   There is reason to believe that this is being done by El Centro, and that
almost without conscious endeavor by the populace. It is the capital, political
and commercial, of the first country that has developed during the automobile
age, and it is not strange that this modern vehicle, which has made the farmer a
score of miles away a near neighbor, is working out here something different
from that wrought elsewhere during the slow days of the lumber wagon and spring
buggy.

   As this is written there are ten towns in Imperial Valley, and before this
book shall have ceased to be a work of reference in libraries the number may be
expected to increase a hundred fold. These towns now and the invisible cities of
the future like them circle about El Centro, all within an hour's drive by
automobile, and we cannot doubt that what has proved universal elsewhere on
earth will prove inevitable here, and that as time goes on that which is the
metropolis now will become more metropolitan, and this without detracting from
the fine attainments of the other towns of the Valley.

   El Centro was not one of the original towns of the Valley. It sprang up later
and avoided some of the mistakes that had been made elsewhere. The towns of the
earlier pioneer days had started with the flimsy architecture adapted to the
needs of the time, and while they were able to get away from that in time, El
Centro from the first had the advantage of being cleanly built to meet the later
requirements.

   W. T. Bill as head of the El Centro Townsite Company filed the plat of the
town in 1905. He was closely affiliated with W. F. Holt, who already was taking
his position as the chief promoter of public utility corporations of this
section. Through the initiative of the latter, the Holton Interurban Railroad
was built from El Centro to Holtville, electric power and ice plants were
installed, followed later by a gas plant, these institutions severally serving
all or a good portion of the Valley from this town, and still later the
interurban road was extended westwardly to become a part of the San Diego and
Arizona Railroad.

   Mr. Holt also became the promoter of the first bank, and he and others began
the erection of business buildings of a superior type for a town of tender years.

   Imperial, in some of its better buildings, had set the pattern of arcades,
and this type of structure, so splendidly adapted to a hot climate, became the
universal type here and was passed on to the other towns of the Valley.

   Full blocks of the arcade buildings, so much more sightly than the irregular
and ragged looking awnings of other towns, makes a fine impression on the
stranger, and gives a ship-shapeness to the general appearance that has set a
standard for other affairs of the community.

   In the course of time there came the period of street paving, during which
all the business streets and the main avenues leading to the boundaries of the
city were rendered among the finest roadways to be found, and dust and mud
ceased to be elements to contend with.

   The primitive sewer system of the earliest days gave way in 1916 to an
outfall sewer built in co-operation with Imperial, which extends through the
latter town and thence to the northwest, where it empties into New River.

   Only second in importance from the standpoint of sanitation is the filtration
plant under construction at this time (spring of 1918), for the purification of
water used for all purposes.

   From the first, El Centro has taken a high position in the institutions that
promote civilization. Its schools, churches and press have been of high
standard, and they have had difficult work to accomplish because of the
complexities of habits and ideals of its extremely cosmopolitan population.
Natives of the northern and southern States are pretty evenly balanced, and
these may be said to be the basic strata of the population. Overlying these, as
next in period of arrival, is an extensive Swiss population, the individuals
having been drawn from their native land by the great opportunities discovered
in the dairy industry. They are a frugal, industrious people and are meeting
with a high degree of success.

   The next class to come in considerable numbers were colored people from the
cotton States of the South. Among the colored people are a number of
considerable intellectual attainment, and then there are some others. Schools
and churches are affording the people of this race an opportunity and
encouragement to attain higher development, and in this the general white
sentiment is sympathetic and desirous of being helpful.

   El Centro has not acquired a large Japanese population, many more East
Indians, Mohammedans and Hindus being seen on the streets. These people are not
residents of the town, however, being wholly rural in their habits.

   In manufacturing lines there are the power interests, the extensive ice
plant, the largest and most modern creamery west of the Missouri River, several
gins and a cottonseed oil mill, and a beginning is being made this year on a
large project looking to the dehydrating and canning of fruits and vegetables.

   El Centro is distinctively a commercial and residence town. Its hotel
accommodations far outrank the typical small city. The homes of the people are
modern bungalows, a few with considerable indication of wealth and refinement.
Numerous extensive farmers, having property at distant points in the Valley,
have chosen this as their home. The stores of the town carry extensive stocks,
and during trading hours the streets are lined with rows of automobiles that at
times are so numerous as to render traffic difficult, these machines having
brought customers from all parts of the Valley.

   El Centro is a city with an eye distinctively to the future and with faith in
the future. Its present 7500 population look confidently to a rapid
multiplication of their numbers through the expansion of industries and the
broadening of genuine opportunities.

HOLTON POWER COMPANY

   In connection with his other interests in the Valley, Mr. W. F. Holt
organized the Holton Power Company for the purpose of serving the cities and
towns of the Valley with electrical energy and ice. The company was incorporated
September 16, 1903, under the laws of California, for a period of fifty years.
The principal place of business of the company from the date of its
incorporation until May, 1916, was at Redlands, California.

   The original capitalization was $500,000.00 stock in shares of $100.00 each.
The capital stock was increased on June 15, 1905, to $1,000,000-.00 to provide
additional capital for improvements and extensions, and on July 18, 1911, to
care for the further expansion of the business, was again increased to
$1,500,000.00. At present there is issued and outstanding a total of
$1,250,000.00. The company also has, issued and outstanding, a total of
$937,000.00 in bonds. Owing to the wide extent of territory served and the
sparse population as compared to older and more thickly settled sections, the
company, during the development period of the Valley, has been under the
necessity of making very heavy investments of capital, an adequate return on
which is assured only after a long period of time, when the Valley becomes more
fully developed.

   The company serves the cities and towns of El Centro, Imperial, Brawley,
Calexico, Calipatria and Holtville, as well as contiguous and intermediate
territory. The company serves at present approximately 3500 customers; it
maintains a central office at El Centro in charge of a district manager.

   The Holton Power Company owns and operates two hydro-electric power plants at
Holtville, with a capacity of 1500 kilowatts, a steam generating plant at El
Centro with a capacity of 250 kilowatts, and a gas electric generating plant
(also located at El Centro) with a capacity of 750 kilowatts. The company has a
total mileage of transmission and distribution lines in the Imperial Valley of
165 miles.

   In the early part of 1916, owing to the necessity of providing increased
generating capacity for the more adequate service of the public, Mr. Holt
disposed of his interests in the company to the same interests controlling The
Southern Sierras Power Company and other large hydro generating companies
operating in the central part of the State, physical connection with the
Southern Sierras system having been established by the construction of a
transmission line from San Bernardino to El Centro in 1914. Upon the change in
ownership the general offices were removed from Redlands to Riverside.

   The present officers of the company are as follows: President and general
manager, A. B. West; vice-president, W. F. Holt; treasurer, A. S. Cooper;
secretary, W. G. Driver.

COACHELLA VALLEY ICE AND ELECTRIC COMPANY

   In 1914, owing to the increased demand for electricity in the Imperial
Valley, it became imperative for the Holton Power Company either to increase its
generating capacity, by the construction of new generating plants in the Valley,
or else connect with other companies who had a surplus of power to sell. The
latter plan was decided to be most feasible and accordingly the Coachella Valley
Ice and Electric Company was organized for the purpose of constructing and
operating a transmission line extending from San Bernardino to El Centro, which
served to inter-connect the system of The Southern Sierras Power Company with
that of the Holton Power Company. The Coachella Company at present owns and
operates about 150 miles of transmission line.

   The Coachella Valley Company, in addition to supplying current at wholesale
to the Holton Power Company, also serves the public in the Coachella Valley, and
furnishes electricity for the operation of the silt dredges of the Imperial
Irrigation District at Hanlon's Heading, on the Colorado River, about 2400
horse-power being supplied for this purpose at the Heading.

   The Coachella Valley Ice and Electric Company is incorporated under the laws
of California, with an authorized capital stock of $300,000.00, all of which is
issued and outstanding. The company is controlled and managed by the same
interests that own The Southern Sierras Power Company and Holton Power Company,
its headquarters also being located at Riverside.

THE IMPERIAL ICE AND DEVELOPMENT COMPANY

   Upon the acquirement of the Holton Power Company by the present management,
it was deemed advisable to segregate the ice business from the electric
operations in the Valley. Previous to that time the ice plants which served a
large part (if not all) of the ice consumed in the Valley were owned and
operated by the Holton Power Company. In June, 1916, The Imperial Ice &
Development Company was incorporated with a capitalization of $1,000,000.00, for
the purpose of taking over the ice-manufacturing interests of the Holton Power
Company and the Coachella Valley Ice and Electric Company, the latter company at
that time owning and operating the ice plant located at Coachella. The Imperial
Ice and Development Company not only enlarged the ice-manufacturing plant of the
Holton Power Company, but the increased demand for ice (particularly for the
refrigeration of produce shipments from the Valley) necessitated the
construction of additional plants. One plant with a rated output capacity of 30
tons per day and a storage capacity of 5000 tons was constructed at Brawley and
completed January, 1917. The plant has an actual manufacturing capacity of about
40 tons per day.

   The company not only supplies the general public throughout the Valley with
ice, but also is under contract to supply the Pacific Fruit Express with a large
proportion of the ice required by that company for refrigeration of shipments
from the Valley. The main office of The Imperial Ice and Development Company is
also located at Riverside and under the same management as the other companies.
The company also operates the ice plant located at Coachella, with a daily
capacity of 30 tons.

THE EL CENTRO FIRE DEPARTMENT 
BY JOS. F. SEYMOUR, JR.

   IT IS the consensus of opinion of the people of El Centro that the El Centro
Volunteer Fire Department is a live organization, a credit to the community and
to itself. It has a membership limited to twenty-five members. The membership
consists in the main part of business and professional men, the majority of whom
have been members of this department for more than five years.

   The department has grown from one wherein the sole equipment was a little,
old two-wheel cart to one which is now equipped with a combination automobile
hose and chemical wagon and an auto pump and hose truck, together with a hook
and ladder truck. The department is housed in spacious quarters and has elegant
club rooms, the furnishings of which are among the finest in the entire state,
the same being owned by the members of the department.

   The department has furnished its quota of men to the national army, together
with hundreds of dollars in cash to the government patriotic associations, among
which were liberal cash donations to the Red Cross and $700 for an ambulance.

   The citizens of El Centro at all times exercise the privilege of calling on
the department to aid the community in those things which are for the betterment
of all concerned, and the department always responds in a way that guarantees
success.

   One of the most notable efforts of the fire department was when, on the last
day of the second Liberty Loan drive, members of the department collected in the
neighborhood of $150,000 from the city of El Centro.

   The department has a business organization in connection with its fire
department organization. The fire alarms are sounded by whistle, the town being
divided into districts. Officials of the city and people familiar with fire
departments and organizations throughout the United States have been very
liberal in their favorable comment as to the efficiency and equipment of this
department. A spirit of co-operation exists between this department and
departments of other towns in the Valley, all of which departments are volunteer
organizations, equipped with modern apparatus, and it can well be said that the
entire membership of all the departments represents the best citizenship of the
Valley.


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


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