Imperial County CA Archives History - Books .....More About The County 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, 4:20 am Book Title: History Of Imperial County California MORE ABOUT THE COUNTY The purpose has been thus far to record with some detail the chronological history of the development and early progress of the Valley. If the account has been of a rambling nature, the writer will perhaps be pardoned when it is stated that it was deemed best to follow the order observed in previous records of these facts. It will be seen, as stated in a previous chapter, that the actual formation of the county itself was not among the early features of development here. San Diego County had an extended territory. It had been organized as a county in 1850, although the town dated back to 1769. But it remained a very insignificant dot on the map for over fifty years. Of course the reclamation of this lower section, known as the Colorado Desert, was wholly undreamed of at that time and for long years afterward. It was regarded as a worthless region, like many other desert sections of the United States. No one dreamed that people could ever be induced to live amid such desolation, so far from any railway line. But with the opening of the Imperial Valley a wholly different situation presented itself. The intervening distance and lack of transportation was sorely felt by the settlers. They were nearly 300 miles from the county seat, where all public business had to be transacted. The people were then dealing with the government offices, which sometimes seemed almost inaccessible to them practically. Thus they saw the need of some relief. The county officials of course also had this distance to contend with in. reaching the residents of the Valley. The superintendent of schools had to drive across the mountains to visit the schools, and then cross the desert to a more distant settlement in the mining region. Thus it appears that except just before an election, when it was deemed necessary to interview these resident voters, the visits of thse [sic] San Diego County officials were supremely rare. Then, too, the isolation of the residents from the rest of the world, separated by vast desert wastes and mountain ranges, was in no way conducive to comradeship, save in their own immediate region. New-comers were commonly fused with the pioneers, and there developed what may be called an imperial spirit. This meant pride of section and an ambition to make it a unit in government as well as in purpose. This sentiment grew and soon became a powerful force in the early movement for county division. While the parent county was loathe to part with any part of its territory, the justice of this claim for separate government was too apparent to ignore. Thus, as detailed in a previous chapter, formal action was taken and the new County Imperial was duly launched and placed on the map of California. The bitter struggle for the county seat has already been alluded to. An early act of the new Board of Supervisors created a Horticultural Commission for the suppression and prevention of pests and diseases to plant life. This commission has labored most effectively in the interest of farmers and growers, and the ravages of such pests common to older sections of the country have been kept out of this new county. It may be said also that magazine and other writers of the period have been surprised in not finding the usual features of the "wild and woolly west" in this reclaimed Valley. Nothing of this nature has prevailed here. The section is not favored by idle and dissolute men. There is no record of any gambling hells, drinking-places nor any immoral dance halls as yet, despite the prediction of some that when the Valley became more populous and prosperous there would be loafers on the streets and thieves along the highways. It is pleasant to record, therefore, that up to this time that "high state of modern civilization" has not been reached in this new county. Another factor worthy of mention pertains to the temper and spirit of the settlers themselves. They come here to make their homes, live and do business with all the energy they have, bent on the reclamation and cultivation of the soil to the fullest extent. They have little time or patience with incapacity or incompetence. Press, pulpit and public opinion are united in maintaining a high standard of decency and morality. And these influences have discouraged the entrance of undesirable classes. Referring further to some of the various county towns, it may be said that Calexico was at first a camp for the employees of the California Development Company. But it soon increased in size and population, and became important because of its being the port of entry into Mexico by way of the Inter-California Railroad line through Baja to Yuma. The Blue Lake region was settled early by the San Diegans. It is also an important base of supplies. Brawley assumed considerable importance in 1903 and it has grown rapidly since. East of the Alamo River Holtville is the supply basis. The Holton Interurban Line greatly improved the local transportation facilities. But the boom there came when the first artesian well was sunk, the money for the purpose having been raised by those having faith in the scheme, in spite of the ukase of geologists and scientists, who decided that no artesian water existed in the valley. The water-bearing gravel was struck at a depth of a little over 800 feet. This was in 1910, and the find created a big sensation in the vicinity. Not far away a second well was bored some 1100 feet deep. This passed through the sweet water and entered a stratum of sand which carried salt water. The well was filled up to the 800-foot level, where the water was all right. This discovery gave great impetus to these east side districts, where the soil was very fertile, and farmers began cutting up their holdings into small tracts in view of the artesian water possibilities, and there was an active demand for these small farms. Many new wells were bored at once and nearly all proved successful. But just how and to what extent the territory in the Valley is underlain with this fresh-water stream has not been definitely determined, although drilling has been in progress in scattered sections. And yet it is not considered probable that it will be found in many parts of the Valley. But the fact that it was found at all shows that our scientific men are not always right in their deductions. The town of Heber was established at a point where another town had been planned. It has become an important trading point, and an agricultural institution known as the Heber Collegiate Institute is located there. The town of Imperial was so named for the Valley itself, as it is the geographical center of the county. Calexico is a combination of California and Mexico in name, while the border town of Mexicali received its appellation by a similar method. Holtville was named in honor of Mr. W. F. Holt, its promoter. El Centro is Spanish for the center. Brawley got its name for a friend of Mr. Heber in Chicago. Silsbee, on the shore of Blue Lake, was named by a former land owner there. And this was the prevailing method used in the bestowal of names for most of the smaller towns in the county. There are several smaller places in the Valley, however, without any special names as yet. Within these county bounds are still an Indian reservation and school, six working gold mines and a large part of the mechanical apparatus belonging to the $4,000,000 government reclamation project. This Yuma Indian reservation contains 16,150 acres, of which 6500 were thrown open to entry under the homestead act of 1910 and immediately taken up. The balance of this land is still in possession of the Yuma Indian tribe, numbering 700 members of all ages and both sexes. This land is equally divided among them. And yet some 350 of them were in revolt against the government and the Indian school in 1895. The Catholic sisters, then in charge of the school, were driven off the reservation and fled to Mexico, where they now live. It is thought that many of these will never return, and thus more of this land will be thrown open for entry. 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 File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/ca/imperial/history/1918/historyo/moreabou215nms.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.net/cafiles/ File size: 8.9 Kb