Gila Valley Irrigation DitrhtSafford, Arizona

Gila Valley Irrigation DitrkftSafford, Arizona

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May 3, 1928.

Mr. P. G. Spilsbury, President,Arizona Industrial Congress,Phoenix, Arizona.

Dear Sir:

Pursuant to your request for an economicsurvey of lands comprising the Gila Valley IrrigationDistrict, the principal office of which is at Safford,Arizona, there is submitted for your consideration theattached report.

Certain data has been taken from reportsmade by Frank H. Olmsted, who submitted a report in1917 on flood control and prevention of further erosionof the banks of the Gila for the Secretary of the Inter-ior, and W. R. Parkhill, Federal Land Bank Appraiserfor the Federal Land Bank at Berkeley, under date ofNoveinber, 1920.

Acknowledgment is also made to Mr. HiramWeach for his version of the early settlement ; Mr. J. W.Wright. County Agricultural Agent, for crop reportand yields ; Mr. J. P. Condrey, Secretary of the GrahamCounty Chamber of Commerce, for his untiring effortsin making it possible to procure data pertaining to thepopulation, schools and taxable wealth; and to the Pres-ident, Secretary and Board of Directors of the Districtfor their support which makes this report possible.

Yours very truly,

P. J. LYNCH, (Mem. AM. SOC. C. E.)

OFFICERS OF THE DISTRICT:

Gila Valley Irrigation District

President Wm. Ellsworth

Secretary J. M. . Wilson

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Richard G. Layton

S. S. Marshall

Milton Hines

LEGAL ADVISORS

Kibbey, Bennett, Gust, Smith and Lyman

ENG INEER

W. R. Elliott

CANAL COMPANIES

Layton Extension

Union Canal Curtis Kingston

Sunflower Brown

Union Extension Tourness

S outhv ill e Michelena

Dodge San Jose

Ft. Thomas San Jose Extension

Nevada Safford San Jose

Graham Mont ezuma

Oregon Layton

STATISTICS

Irrigable area 40,000 acresNow irrigated 32,000 acresNumber of farms 890Average size of farm 36 acresPopulation of District 14,500Population of farms 4,450

Annual gross value of crops pro-duced for past 8 years $ 2,050,000

Value of livestock, includingsheep, goats, and cattle,poultry and dairy products

Estimated valuation of irrigat-ed land, including improvements

Annual charge per acre for all waterdelivered to land, which in-cludes cost of operation andmaintenance and betterments

The canal companies have expendedover $400,000 on diversion dams andcanals, and these works standto-day at the mercy of the GilaRiver when in flood

$ 3,350,000

13,000,000

$1.50

$400, 000

It is unnecessary to provide drainage at thistime, as underlying the rich soil is a layer ofcoarse gravel which permits a return flow of 50% ofthe water to the river,

There is no bonded or other indebtednessagainst the District.

LOCATION:

The Gila Valley Irrigation District in Graham Coun-ty, Arizona, embraces a narrow strip of land ap-proximately2miles in width by 35 miles in length,through which the Gila River winds its way to thelower elevations.

HISTORY:

Some 50 years after the discovery of America byColumbus, Jesuit priests from Mexico explored thevalley and found an irrigation system that was evi-dently constructed long before the advent of thisexpedition, which proved that ancient people hadattained an advanced degree of civilization in theireffort to augment a water supply that nature hadnot provided. At this time no evidence remained toidentify the character of these people. The landhad reverted to the desert, but the outline of thecanal system still remained. This system was uti-lized in a small way by Mexicans, who, through thereligious influence of the priests, were on ratherfriendly terms with the Indians.

The land north of the Gila River was ceded to theUnited States Government by Mexico after the war of1848. The area south of the river to the Mexican bor-der was acquired by the Gadsden Purchase in 1854.

SETTLEMENT AND DEVELOPMENT BY THE WHITE PEOPLE:

It was not until 1860 that white trappers from Utahand Colorado, in their quest for beaver fur, enteredthe valley and spread the information on their re-turn to their native states of the wonderful produc-tivity of the soil. Rugged and hardy men from theMormon settlement in Salt Lake City establisheda small settlement near what is now called the townof Solomonville. A greater influx of the membersof this faith came in 1870. Due to the unfriendlyattitude of the Indians, it necessarily followed

that the early settlers congregated in a small com-munity to protect their lives. During the next10-year period little new development was construct-ed. The beginning of the early eighties saw theMormons entering in larger bodies, and abriskperiodof construction followed during the next 20 years.

IRRIGATED AREA AND SYSTEM:

Parallel to the river on both sides is an area of richsoil classified as Maricopa loam that approximates45,000 acres, 40,000 of which are susceptible ofirrigation if suitable works were constructedin the river.

There are at present 32,000 acres intensely culti-vated and receiving water from 11 separate brushdams in the river, supplying water to 13 independentcanal companies. The canal system consists of ap-proximately 200 miles of canals and laterals.

Each canal company operates and maintains its ownsystem and assessments are levied and collectedby the individual canals after the debt is incurred.

WATER SUPPLY:

The water shed of the Gila River and its tributariesembraces an area nearly 12,000 square miles, ornearly 6,000 square miles larger than the Salt andTonto watersheds combined. Snow covered areas onGraham and Gila mountains insure a. constant run-off, as the mountains attain an elevation wellover 11,000feet. It is true that during the monthsof July, August and September there is not sufficientflow of water in the river to provide the necessarywater supply during these critical months. The soilsurvey report of the Solomonville area made in 1904discusses in a general way the effect this shortageof water has on crops and quoting from the abovereport, ''The water of the Gila River caused large

quantities of sediment and some alkali salts,''and further states that a chemical analysis of asample of water taken from the head of the Monte-zuma canal contained 75 parts of total solids per100,000, of which calcium sulphate and calciumchloride were less thanhaif the total solids. ''Thealluvial sediments are of considerable import-ance as a fertilizer, as they contain a high per-centage of organic and mineral plant nutriments.''

VALUE OF LAND $300 PER ACRE:

Partially quoting from report by the engineer ap-praiser of the Berkeley Federal Land Bank: ''Withthe classification of the various canal systemsas to water supply construction and drainage, itis entirely feasible to make a good comparativeestimate of the value of stock under the varioussystems. It has already been shown that the saleprice of stock as claimed is notably not a very trueindex of the value of stock. It is comparativelyeasy to place a conservative average value on goodfarming lands in any community, as there are manysales of such property.'' ''A fair price for wellimproved farms in the upper end of the Gila Valley,where drainage and construction conditions aremost favorable and canals have a Class Il-A supply,is $225 per acre when considering crop productionand proper normal values over a period of years.''With alfalfa at $20 a ton, and ten tons to the acreproduction, together with an assured permanentwater supply, this land is easily worth $300 peracre based on production.

ORGANIZATION OF GILA VALLEY IRRIGATION CO.,:

It was not until September 8, 1923, that the 13canal companies agreed to combine all companiesand organize an irrigation district under the ses-sion laws of the state of Arizona of 1919 and 1921.

All lands had been acquired under the Homestead law

or Desert Act. Water rights were adjudicated bythe Arizona state water commissioner and filed withthe state. Patents to these lands were grantedby the United States.

IMPROVEMENT AND UNIT OF OWNERSHIP:

The Gila Valley Irrigation District is the largestirrigation project in Arizona, exclusive of theSalt River Valley lands. The early history of thepioneer settlers of the Salt River Valley closelyfollows that of the Gila settlers save there wasno unfriendly interference by the Indians in theSalt River Valley. The thriving towns of Pima, That-cher, Central, Safford, Solomonville , Fort Thomasand Geronimo grace the valley with paved streets,domestic water supply and electrical distribution,that is only surpassed by communities of muchlarger population and many years older.

Exclusive of the towns, the district shows anap-praised valuation of $11,600,000 with improve-ments totaling $4,500,000, which included houses,barns, silos and farm implements. The livestock in-dustry has an appraised valuation of $2,500,000.The average crop valuation estimates from 1920 showgross return annually of $2,100,000. Eight hun-dred eighty-five individual farms make an aver-age holding of 36 acres per holding, which is lessacreage per unit ownership than that stated by theSalt River project in 1923.

POPULATION:

The entire population of the district includingthe towns is 14,500 and one-third of this popula-tion belongs to the Mormon faith. This religioussect has erected and maintains 13 churches. Schoolsaccommodate an average daily attendance of 2,600pupils, and Gila College at Thatcher, a non-sec-tarian institution sponsored by the Mormons, hasan enrollment of 300 students.

The people who pioneered this valley had to com-bat the floods of the Gila River coupled with thetreacherous activity of the Indians, and muchpraise is due them for their undaunted courage andperseverence under conditions that would easilyhave turned back, or exterminated, a less cour-ageous spirit.

Mr. Hiram Weach, the oldest pioneer in the Valley,tells a tragic story of his life. Mr. Weach settlednear Thatcher in 1869 on the choicest land then inthe valley, 160 acres near the stream bed of theGila, which at that time he describes as a meander-ing stream of about 140 feet in width, heavilytimbered with large cottonwood and willow trees.These trees were cut to provide homes for the earlypioneers and shelter for cattle. Floods in the rivergradually took his entire 160 acres until today notone acre of his original homestead remains to becultivated. The kindly old man related this talewith no feeling of animosity toward nature, butrather conveyed a humility that bespoke a faith inthe Divine Providence that all things are for thebest. His story is but one of many, as it was a con-stant battle in an attempt to keep the river in itsbanks during floods.

The cutting of these trees removed the barrierwhich permitted an increased velocity, washing awaya channel which is today 2,000 feet wide. Withan average gradient of 26 feet to the mile and thechannel well defined, this entire valley is sub-j ect to destruction with a return of a wet year sim-ilar to 1905. The stream bed today occupies nearlyone-half of the entire area of the valley and allthis has been done in about five wet years. Oneflood of January, 1916, washed away nearly 1,200acres. This was determined by a plane table surveyof the Indian Service Department.

MARKETS:

From an economic standpoint the Upper Gila Valleyis highly important, as it has definite markets ateither end which are dependent on its agriculturalproducts. The cities of Globe and Miami, employ-.ing thousands of people in the mining industry, andwith an estimated population of 19,600, are theoutlet for the products of the lower valley. Theupper valley serves the towns of Morenci and Clif-ton, with a population of 7,000. The towns of thevalley also supply the outlying ranges, which areused for cattle and sheep. Splendid highways leadfrom both ends of the valley to these markets.

RECOMMENDATION:

A survey should be made at once to determine the moststrategic points for a dam, or series of dams, tocontrol the flood menace. An investigation shouldbe made to provide storage of sufficient quantityin conjunction with the flood control.

CROP YIELD:

COTTON--2 bales per acre when water available,maximum yield.

WHEAT-4,400 pounds per acre.

ALFALFATen tons per acre. A quantity yieldthat demands a 20 per cent higher pricethan any alfalfa raised in the South-west, due to its exceptionally tenderfiber and heavy leaf.

BARLEY-4,500 pounds per acre.

CORN-4,300 pounds per acre.

BEANSi, 200 pounds per acre.

These are the principal crops raised in the valley.

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fIijh School and Grammar School, Saffoid.

High School and Grade School at Thatcher

School at Soiornonville

Concrete Highways Serving Well-Developed Farms

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Giaharn County Court House, Safford

Gila Junior College, Thatcher.