ANCIENT AND MODERN ARIZONA. 



197 



FALL OF ARIZONA CANAL, SALT RIVER VALLEY. 



We find that the progress of this period was limited 

 and confined to the Gila river and its southern tribu- 

 taries, and resulted in the occupation of a few thou- 

 sand acres permanently. 



The Spanish and Mexican plan of securing water 

 was one of purely gravity, assisted by light and low 

 dams or weirs for diversion. They believe in the 

 theory that the better plan is to let the water run into 

 the ditch, avoiding, if possible, the construction of 

 weirs on sandy foundations, as nearly all river beds 

 in Arizona are. This homely idea seems in some 

 cases to have been ignored by modern engineers, and 

 usually with serious results. Upon the farms they 

 distributed water by means of ditches running across 

 fields from 15 to 30 yards apart, out of which the 

 water was thrown by dams until it covered the sur- 

 face cultivated. 



III. AMERICAN DEVELOPMENT. 



After the war of the rebellion, which had resulted 

 in the almost complete abandonment of the Territory 

 by the troops of the United States, the reestablish- 

 ment of military posts and several successful cam- 

 paigns against the Apaches led to cultivation under 

 the Americans. This was nearly all by means of irri- 

 gation, commencing in the vicinity of Prescott and 

 about Tucson a continuation of the Spanish and 

 Mexican efforts. 



In the northern part of Arizona the mountain val- 

 leys are unusually narrow where water is available, 

 so that the aggregate area under ditch is yet small, 

 and it has been found that in ordinary seasons corn 

 and potatoes are quite successful as field crops with- 

 out irrigation in many localities. 



WHERE IRRIGATION IS ESSENTIAL. 



After passing south of 34 of latitude, it may be 

 said that no cultivation can be successfully carried 

 on without irrigation. We find in the valleys of the 

 Salt and Gila rivers the largest area of irrigated land, 

 an extent now provided with canal system amounting 

 to over 1,000,000 acres, and under process of construc- 

 tion and extension quite as much more. 



Among the more notable works is the Arizona 

 canal, 40 miles long, having a weir in the Salt river 

 nine feet high and 900 feet long. This a private cor- 

 porate work. 



CO-OPERATIVE CANALS. 



The Grand, Maricopa, Salt River Valley, Tempe 

 and Utah, near Phoenix, are very good examples of 

 the result of cooperative canal building by farmers, 

 and are all successful. The Mesa, Buckeye and 

 East Riverside were built by farmers, and after a 

 time passed under the control of companies by con- 

 tract. The Florence canal of Florence, Arizona, and 

 Peoria canal of Gila Bend, built by companies after 

 absorbing the rights of several predecessors are now 



