Colorado River Irrigation Company
Encyclopedia
The Colorado River Irrigation Company was incorporated in Colorado
on January 7, 1892 for the purpose of irrigating "lands contiguous to the Colorado River
." The company founders claimed to be able to irrigate 3000000 acres (12,140.6 km²), with 1000000 acres (4,046.9 km²) of that being in San Diego County, California
and the remainder in Baja California
, Mexico
. They projected that the canal would be completed within two years. The Colorado River was described as an "inexhaustible source."
The company employed C. R. Rockwood
as an engineer. Rockwood was aware of O. M. Wozencraft's
earlier attempts to promote a scheme to irrigate the Salton Sink
.
The 1893 depression
impacted capital flow to the company. The company failed in September, 1894, with the director, John. C. Beatty, accused of fraud.
In 1894 Rockwood sued the company for outstanding salary and was awarded the data he had collected as well as engineering equipment. Rockwood and Anthony H. Heber
later formed the California Development Company
and, with George Chaffey
providing capital, this new company constructed a canal system to divert Colorado River water to the Salton Sink.
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
on January 7, 1892 for the purpose of irrigating "lands contiguous to the Colorado River
Colorado River
The Colorado River , is a river in the Southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico, approximately long, draining a part of the arid regions on the western slope of the Rocky Mountains. The watershed of the Colorado River covers in parts of seven U.S. states and two Mexican states...
." The company founders claimed to be able to irrigate 3000000 acres (12,140.6 km²), with 1000000 acres (4,046.9 km²) of that being in San Diego County, California
San Diego County, California
San Diego County is a large county located in the southwestern corner of the US state of California. Hence, San Diego County is also located in the southwestern corner of the 48 contiguous United States. Its county seat and largest city is San Diego. Its population was about 2,813,835 in the 2000...
and the remainder in Baja California
Baja California
Baja California officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Baja California is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is both the northernmost and westernmost state of Mexico. Before becoming a state in 1953, the area was known as the North...
, Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
. They projected that the canal would be completed within two years. The Colorado River was described as an "inexhaustible source."
The company employed C. R. Rockwood
Rockwood, California
Rockwood is an unincorporated community in Imperial County, California. It is located on the Southern Pacific Railroad south of Calipatria, at an elevation of 154 feet below sea level....
as an engineer. Rockwood was aware of O. M. Wozencraft's
O. M. Wozencraft
Oliver M. Wozencraft was a prominent early American settler in California. He had substantial involvement in negotiating treaties between California Native American Indian tribes and the United States of America...
earlier attempts to promote a scheme to irrigate the Salton Sink
Salton Sink
The Salton Sink is a geographic sink in the Coachella and Imperial valleys of southeastern California. It is in the Colorado Desert subregion of the Sonoran Desert ecoregion...
.
The 1893 depression
Panic of 1893
The Panic of 1893 was a serious economic depression in the United States that began in 1893. Similar to the Panic of 1873, this panic was marked by the collapse of railroad overbuilding and shaky railroad financing which set off a series of bank failures...
impacted capital flow to the company. The company failed in September, 1894, with the director, John. C. Beatty, accused of fraud.
In 1894 Rockwood sued the company for outstanding salary and was awarded the data he had collected as well as engineering equipment. Rockwood and Anthony H. Heber
Heber, California
Heber is a census-designated place in Imperial County, California. Heber is located north-northwest of Calexico. The population was 4,275 at the 2010 census, up from 2,566 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Heber is located at ....
later formed the California Development Company
California Development Company
The California Development Company was formed in 1896 as a replacement for the defunct Colorado River Irrigation Company, which had been started a few years earlier for the purpose of planning an irrigation system for the lower Colorado Desert in California...
and, with George Chaffey
George Chaffey
George Chaffey was a Canadian–born engineer who with his brother William developed large parts of Southern California, including what became the community of Etiwanda and cities of Ontario, and Upland...
providing capital, this new company constructed a canal system to divert Colorado River water to the Salton Sink.
See also
- Alamo CanalAlamo CanalThe Alamo Canal was a long waterway that connected the Colorado River to the head of the Alamo River. The canal was constructed to provide irrigation to the Imperial Valley. A small portion of the canal was located in the United States but the majority of the canal was located in Mexico...
- Imperial Irrigation DistrictImperial Irrigation DistrictThe Imperial Irrigation District was formed in 1911 under the California Irrigation District Act to acquire the properties of the bankrupt California Development Company and its Mexican subsidiary. The IID had acquired 13 mutual water companies, which had developed and operated distribution canals...
- Imperial Land CompanyImperial Land CompanyThe Imperial Land Company was a land colonization company incorporated in California in March, 1900 for the purpose of encouraging settlement of the Imperial Valley thus providing customers for the California Development Company...
- Salton SeaSalton SeaThe Salton Sea is a shallow, saline, endorheic rift lake located directly on the San Andreas Fault, predominantly in California's Imperial Valley. The lake occupies the lowest elevations of the Salton Sink in the Colorado Desert of Imperial and Riverside counties in Southern California. Like Death...