Imperial County CA Archives History - Books .....Towns 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, 3:30 am Book Title: History Of Imperial County California EL CENTRO.—The town of El Centro, now the capital of the new county, had antedated the county itself by some two years in its organization. The townsite belonged to Mr. W. F. Holt, and a flag station named Cabarker had been established there by the Southern Pacific Railway. Mr. Holt sold this site to a Redlands syndicate which exploited it under the name of El Centro, which has been retained ever since. There was a hotel which had been moved over from Imperial, two small residences owned by Dr. Anderson, also moved from Imperial, and a small real estate office on Main Street. Water was received from a lateral ditch leading from the canal west of the town. The construction of the present El Centro hotel was soon begun and also the Holt Opera House. And yet, it must be said, that this shire town of the county then contained only about a dozen permanent settlers. But the abounding faith in the rapid development of that region, which had animated these people from the beginning, actuated them still. And today El Centro has a population of 7500 and a total of building operations in a year of nearly one million dollars. In 1912 the various industrial structures there were valued at $241,900; commercial buildings, $83,300; educational structures, $65,000; residences, churches and hospitals, $16,400; hotels, restaurants, etc., $15,700, a total of over half a million dollars. There were 81 new residences built that year at an average cost of $2000. And the total assessment of the land has increased $10,000,000. All this was accomplished in six years. THE TOWN OF IMPERIAL.—This was staked out by the Imperial Land Company in the geographical center of the irrigable area in the fall of 1900. Dr. W. T. Heffernan was the pioneer merchant, who built a store there and stocked it with general merchandise. A tent hotel was opened by Millard F. Hudson about the same time, and a house for religious worship for the Christian Church was built in 1901. And here again-the printing press took its place in the front rank of public endeavor. It was the Imperial Press, edited by Mr. Henry C. Reid, whose daughter Ruth was the first baby born in the town. The pastor of this first church was the Rev. John C. Hay, whose initial congregation numbered just six persons. Mr. W. F. Holt and Le Roy Holt and his wife were of this number. But the town now began to grow rapidly in size and importance. The Imperial Land Company opened a new hotel in the summer of 19x54. Mr. Reid guided the destinies of the Imperial Press from May until October in 1901, when he was succeeded by Edgar F. Howe. During Mr. Reid's control he published a graphic sketch of the new town as he first saw it in March, 1901. Material had arrived for the erection of the Press building, together with living apartments for the editor and his family. This structure was soon a reality through the efforts of a jolly bunch of friends under the command of W. F. Holt. The printing machinery was in place while the walls and roof were being built around it and even while the first edition of the paper was being put in type. When it is stated that the fixed population of the desert city that first summer was less than a dozen, it will be seen that the editor's neighbors were not very numerous. How he obtained his news, his subscriptions, or his money to pay his office staff does not appear. CALEXICO.—On the border line of the new county, and its sister town of Mexicali, is one of the most prominent towns in the Valley, being tributary to a vast extent of territory in Mexico that is very fertile, having large ranches producing wheat, barley, cotton and similar crops. It owns its water and sewer system, has well-lighted streets, miles of concrete sidewalks, avenues of fine shade trees, splendid schools and churches. The California Development Company has its offices here. The United States Custom House is here, and there is a large industrial district for handling cotton, gins, oil mills, compress, etc., warehouses and many fine blocks of buildings. HEBER is four miles from this point northward and has become one of the largest shipping stations for stock, hay and grain in the Valley. It also ships many carloads of cantaloupes in the season and it has a good hotel. BRAWLEY, nine miles north of Imperial, is the great cantaloupe center of the Valley, some 3000 carloads of this luscious fruit being shipped from here annually. And it is claimed that this place produces more vegetable products than all the other towns in the Valley combined. It is a very progressive town, owns its own water and sewer systems, has a fine public park, several social clubs and churches, cotton gins and a creamery. Among the leading vegetable products are dates, apricots, grapes, peppers, beans and peas. It has the largest cantaloupe packing shed in the west. HOLTVILLE, also an incorporated city, is rated as the gem of the East Side section. It is the only one in the Valley having artesian water. Much public spirit has been shown here, and there are many public improvements with others in prospect. The adjacent territory is mainly devoted to alfalfa, cotton, grain and stock raising, although an extensive acreage is now being planted with the cantaloupe melon. It is claimed that this is the only place in the United States where one can eat breakfast below sea level and sleep above it. The Holton Power Company here supplies the entire Valley with electricity, and the great plant is operated by water power. In addition to the towns briefly mentioned there are Calipatria, Silsby, Dixieland and many other smaller settlements all through the Valley which are ready to blossom into business activity. Vacant houses are unknown in any of these towns today. Such is the record of the men who came into this Valley knowing it was a forbidden desert without a redeeming feature. It must be apparent to anyone that it took a vast amount of courage and persistence to start the development of a ranch of any kind here in those old pioneer days. They had to brave the storms miles from any supplies, and away from all the comforts and advantages of civilization. Even ten years ago there was only a single telephone line to Flowing Wells, forty miles to the railway. Now there are all manner of modern facilities all through the Valley, and the newcomers may go and come at will. But it always takes men of this class, full of courage and determination, to blaze the way of civilization and progress in any new country like that. Those who are made of milder stuff are always ready to follow where they see that success has been already achieved, and in this they are quite willing to share liberally. 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/towns207nms.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.net/cafiles/ File size: 7.5 Kb