National Irrigation Congress
Encyclopedia
The National Irrigation Congress was held periodically in the Western United States
beginning in 1891 and ending in 1916, by which time the organization had changed its name to International Irrigation Congress. It was a "powerful pressure group."
The first congress was organized in Salt Lake City, Utah
, by William Ellsworth Smythe, the editor of the publication Irrigation Age, Elwood Mead
, a Wyoming irrigation engineer, and Senator Francis E. Warren
of Idaho. As a result, irrigation became a substantial national issue. The congress passed a resolution urging that public lands controlled by the federal government be turned over to the states and territories "needful of irrigation."
Between 450 and 600 delegates attended.
1893
The panic of 1893
undermined financial backing for the congress; nevertheless, the second conference opened in August 1893 in the Grand Opera House in Los Angeles, California
, with an address by John P. Irish
of San Francisco and the presence of a number of foreign representatives who had responded to an appeal by the State Department to attend the meeting. They came from France, Russia, Mexico, Ecuador and New South Wales
. The body also appointed commissioners in every state and territory to survey arid lands
and submit the results to the U.S. Congress.
Dr. C.W. Allingham of Los Angeles introduced his "heliomotor," a sun-powered engine that he said could be used to pump irrigation water. The Los Angeles Times reported:
1894 The congress in Omaha, Nebraska
, was highlighted by adoption of a plan to settle 250 families in a planned community
called New Plymouth
in Idaho. "Farmers were . . . restricted to living no more than two miles away from their crops, and the sale of alcohol was banned . . . to keep the farmers sober and well-mannered at all times."
John Wesley Powell
, director of the United States Geological Survey
, "talked of the storm-water storage plan. He thought that this was still an experiment. In Utah and California, where it had been tried, it had been successful."
1895
A congress held in Albuquerque, New Mexico
, in 1895 adopted a resolution that stated in part:
1896
At the fifth congress in Phoenix, Arizona
, A.G. Wolfenbarger of Nebraska described the West as "a country destined to become at some future time the very Garden of the Gods, the home of intelligence, learning, riches, philanthropy, everything that can measure the power and greatness of a great nation . . . millions of people are waiting to be led out into these great plains waiting to welcome them to a home that will make them absolutely independent."
1897
The congress of 1897 in Lincoln, Nebraska
, which attracted representatives from thirteen states, was opened with an address by E.R. Moses, chairman of the national executive committee, who said:
Defeated Democratic candidate for the U.S. Presidency William Jennings Bryan
told the delegates he was opposed "to turning over large bodies of land to corporations controlling water rights, unless safeguards were thrown around the transaction to protect small holders of irrigable land."
1898
The 1898 congress in Cheyenne, Wyoming
, called for the federal government to allocate "no less than $100,000 for hydrographic surveys for the measurement of streams and the survey of reservoir
sites" and urged the formation of a forestry bureau
. But a Colorado legislator reportedly likened the America West "to a graveyard, littered with defunct irrigation corporations."
1899
A battle developed at the 1899 Wichita, Kansas
, meeting of another Western body — the Trans-Mississippi Congress — over the stand by the National Irrigation Congress favoring federal "storage reservoirs" and the "leasing of the public grazing lands by the states without cession and those who advocated the public lands to the States and Territories." After much debate, the Trans-Mississippi
group endorsed the policy of the Irrigation Congress.
1900
The 1900 meeting of the Irrigation Congress in Chicago, Illinois, featured a paper read by Captain Hiram M. Chittenden
of the Army Corps of Engineers contending that the best way to get the U.S. Congress to act on irrigation was to "divorce the storage reservoir problem from that of irrigation in general, that the former is properly within the field of the General Government, and is in a fair way to secure favorable action by Congress, provided that it is well understood that no attempt will be made to involve the Government in irrigation work
."
1903
The eleventh congress was held in Ogden, Utah
, in September 1903, with Senator William A. Clark of Montana as chairman. The agenda included "Practical irrigation and forestry lessons; reports of experts; application of provisions of the Reclamation act
; State progress under the National act; views on settlement of legal complications, and the theme of colonization."
Commander Frederick Booth-Tucker
of the Salvation Army
made the principal address, arguing on behalf of the a plan to "colonize the irrigated lands of the West with poor people from the cities." He said some 3,000 acres of land had been settled in such a way in Colorado, California and Ohio.
1905
The 1905 meeting of the congress, held in Portland, Oregon
, in conjunction with the Lewis and Clark Centennial Exposition
, attacted 1,200 delegates. A plan to hold "sectional meetings" was deemed a failure because most of the delegates preferred to attend the fair instead, a New York Times reporter said.
1906
The congress took a stand against any "legislative concessions in favor of Philippine sugar," a nation recently conquered by the United States, so that sugar-beet production "may be fully developed in the arid regions of America." The delegates also rescinded a resolution that the 11th conference had adopted in 1903 endorsing Zea Maize
as the "national floral emblem."
1907
The congress was opened in Sacramento, California
in September, held in conjunction with a colorful Interstate Exposition of Irrigated Land and Forest Products. The "four great objects of the congress" were "To save the forests, store the floods, reclaim the deserts, and make homes on the land." Agronomist Luther Burbank
, the "Wizard of the Plant Industry," told the delegates he had developed a "thornless cactus" that would "become the great fodder of arid regions."
1908
For the 12-day conference in Albuquerque, New Mexico
, beginning September 29, the federal government appropriated $50,000 to underwrite an exposition exhibiting the products of agriculture. Territorial Governor George Curry
moved his office from the state capital at Santa Fe
so he could be on hand to greet the 4,000 people who eventually arrived. New Mexicans used the event to drum up support for statehood, which was granted four years later, in 1912. A reporter reviewing the event said that:
1909
Gifford Pinchot
, who had been appointed by President William McKinley
to head the government's Division of Forestry in 1898, and who had run the U.S. Forest Service since it had taken over management of forest reserves from the General Land Office
in 1905, became convinced that U.S. Secretary of the Interior Richard Achilles Ballinger
intended to "stop the conservation movement". In August, speaking at the annual meeting of the National Irrigation Congress in Spokane, Washington
, he accused Ballinger of siding with private trusts
in his handling of water power issues.
In his opening speech at the congress, chairman George E. Barstow
urged the government to find work for (overseas) immigrants "out West
," to provide them with transportation and to lend them money to establish homes.
1910
The 1910 conference in Pueblo, Colorado
, was highlighted by a dispute over whether water policy should be in the hands of the federal government or, as sought by congress chairman Frank C. Goudy of Denver, "larger private and State holdings in irrigation projects." The congress endorsed federal control of interstate water "by a substantial majority."
1911
At the Chicago, Illinois meeting, a move was afoot to change the name of the organization to National Reclamation Congress and "make the reclaiming of the swamp and lowlands of the South the primary object and the irrigation of the Southwest and the West a secondary matter." The attempt was not carried out. At one session, Gifford Pinchot
, "President Roosevelt's
right-hand man and former chieft of the government forestry service" was verbally attacked "and his widely heralded policy of conservaton was declared to be 'fantastic.'" The congress split into two factions over the matter.
1912
The session in Salt Lake City had on the agenda such items as "Irrigation of the Great West," "Storing of the Floods" and "Heeding the Call of the Landless Man for the Manless Land." The congress saw a change in name to International Irrigation Congress and ended with a resolution favoring control of water resources by the federal government, and not by the states. Henry S. Graves
, United States forester, who gave the principal address, favored the latter proposal.
1914
The regular meeting of the Irrigation Congress was scheduled for Calgary, Alberta, Canada, October 5 through 9. (In April a Trans-Missouri Irrigation Conference, not affiliated with the ongoing organization, had been held in Denver, Colorado, at the call of Secretary of the Interior Franklin Knight Lane
, who had "issued a broad invitation to all persons interested in irrigation," with the meetings "open to all.")
1915
The congress was held at four locations in Northern California
September 12 through 20: Stockton
, Fresno
, Sacramento
and San Francisco
.
1916
The twenty-third and last irrigation congress, in El Paso, Texas
, was highlighted by the dedication of the new Elephant Butte Dam
in Elephant Butte, New Mexico
, on October 15. One evening featured a debate on whether irrigation should be a governmental or private enterprise, with Will R. King
, chief counsel for the U.S. Reclamation Service, arguing for the former and Judge Carroll R. Graves of Seattle, Washington, saying that "private exploitation would give better results." At the same congress:
Western United States
.The Western United States, commonly referred to as the American West or simply "the West," traditionally refers to the region comprising the westernmost states of the United States. Because the U.S. expanded westward after its founding, the meaning of the West has evolved over time...
beginning in 1891 and ending in 1916, by which time the organization had changed its name to International Irrigation Congress. It was a "powerful pressure group."
Nineteenth century
1891The first congress was organized in Salt Lake City, Utah
Salt Lake City, Utah
Salt Lake City is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Utah. The name of the city is often shortened to Salt Lake or SLC. With a population of 186,440 as of the 2010 Census, the city lies in the Salt Lake City metropolitan area, which has a total population of 1,124,197...
, by William Ellsworth Smythe, the editor of the publication Irrigation Age, Elwood Mead
Elwood Mead
Elwood Mead was a professor, politician and engineer, known for heading the Bureau of Reclamation from 1924 until his death in 1936. During his tenure, he oversaw some of the most complex projects the Bureau of Reclamation has undertaken...
, a Wyoming irrigation engineer, and Senator Francis E. Warren
Francis E. Warren
Francis Emroy Warren was an American politician of the Republican Party best known for his years in the United States Senate representing Wyoming.-Early life and military service:...
of Idaho. As a result, irrigation became a substantial national issue. The congress passed a resolution urging that public lands controlled by the federal government be turned over to the states and territories "needful of irrigation."
Between 450 and 600 delegates attended.
1893
The panic of 1893
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...
undermined financial backing for the congress; nevertheless, the second conference opened in August 1893 in the Grand Opera House in Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
, with an address by John P. Irish
John P. Irish
John Powell Irish, known as John P. Irish, was a leader of the Democratic Party in Iowa, a landowner in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta region of California, a fiery and influential public speaker, and an opponent of prejudice against Japanese, the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, women's suffrage ...
of San Francisco and the presence of a number of foreign representatives who had responded to an appeal by the State Department to attend the meeting. They came from France, Russia, Mexico, Ecuador and New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
. The body also appointed commissioners in every state and territory to survey arid lands
Arid
A region is said to be arid when it is characterized by a severe lack of available water, to the extent of hindering or even preventing the growth and development of plant and animal life...
and submit the results to the U.S. Congress.
Dr. C.W. Allingham of Los Angeles introduced his "heliomotor," a sun-powered engine that he said could be used to pump irrigation water. The Los Angeles Times reported:
He said it might be stated that the idea was a cranky one, but it must be remembered that it was the cranks that made things move. (Laughter.)
1894 The congress in Omaha, Nebraska
Omaha, Nebraska
Omaha is the largest city in the state of Nebraska, United States, and is the county seat of Douglas County. It is located in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about 20 miles north of the mouth of the Platte River...
, was highlighted by adoption of a plan to settle 250 families in a planned community
Planned community
A planned community, or planned city, is any community that was carefully planned from its inception and is typically constructed in a previously undeveloped area. This contrasts with settlements that evolve in a more ad hoc fashion. Land use conflicts are less frequent in planned communities since...
called New Plymouth
New Plymouth, Idaho
New Plymouth is a city in Payette County, Idaho, United States. The population was 1,400 at the 2000 census. It was incorporated on February 15, 1896. It is the host of the annual Payette County Fair....
in Idaho. "Farmers were . . . restricted to living no more than two miles away from their crops, and the sale of alcohol was banned . . . to keep the farmers sober and well-mannered at all times."
John Wesley Powell
John Wesley Powell
John Wesley Powell was a U.S. soldier, geologist, explorer of the American West, and director of major scientific and cultural institutions...
, director of the United States Geological Survey
United States Geological Survey
The United States Geological Survey is a scientific agency of the United States government. The scientists of the USGS study the landscape of the United States, its natural resources, and the natural hazards that threaten it. The organization has four major science disciplines, concerning biology,...
, "talked of the storm-water storage plan. He thought that this was still an experiment. In Utah and California, where it had been tried, it had been successful."
1895
A congress held in Albuquerque, New Mexico
Albuquerque, New Mexico
Albuquerque is the largest city in the state of New Mexico, United States. It is the county seat of Bernalillo County and is situated in the central part of the state, straddling the Rio Grande. The city population was 545,852 as of the 2010 Census and ranks as the 32nd-largest city in the U.S. As...
, in 1895 adopted a resolution that stated in part:
We declare that it should be the policy of [the United States] Congress to frame laws which will enable the people to obtain possession of the arid public lands upon terms which bear a fair relation to the cost of reclamationDrainage system (Agriculture)An agricultural drainage system is a system by which the water level on or in the soil is controlled to enhance agricultural crop production.-Classification:Figure 1 classifies the various types of drainage systems...
, and that this cost should be regulated by public authority. . . . We earnestly ask for the creation of a National Irrigation Commission . . . to be composed of men familiar with the condition of the arid region and including a representative of skilled engineers. We would have this commission empowered to use the facilities of the Department of the Interior or AgricultureUnited States Department of AgricultureThe United States Department of Agriculture is the United States federal executive department responsible for developing and executing U.S. federal government policy on farming, agriculture, and food...
and of WarUnited States Department of WarThe United States Department of War, also called the War Department , was the United States Cabinet department originally responsible for the operation and maintenance of the United States Army...
.
1896
At the fifth congress in Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix is the capital, and largest city, of the U.S. state of Arizona, as well as the sixth most populated city in the United States. Phoenix is home to 1,445,632 people according to the official 2010 U.S. Census Bureau data...
, A.G. Wolfenbarger of Nebraska described the West as "a country destined to become at some future time the very Garden of the Gods, the home of intelligence, learning, riches, philanthropy, everything that can measure the power and greatness of a great nation . . . millions of people are waiting to be led out into these great plains waiting to welcome them to a home that will make them absolutely independent."
1897
The congress of 1897 in Lincoln, Nebraska
Lincoln, Nebraska
The City of Lincoln is the capital and the second-most populous city of the US state of Nebraska. Lincoln is also the county seat of Lancaster County and the home of the University of Nebraska. Lincoln's 2010 Census population was 258,379....
, which attracted representatives from thirteen states, was opened with an address by E.R. Moses, chairman of the national executive committee, who said:
We irrigationists are satified that [the U.S.] Congress will have to adopt our plan of preventing the overflow of large streams by the storage of waters near the [river] headsSource (river or stream)The source or headwaters of a river or stream is the place from which the water in the river or stream originates.-Definition:There is no universally agreed upon definition for determining a stream's source...
in such a manner as to feed the stream at times of low water, and at other times to be used in irrigation, navigation, and manufacturing industries . . . and large tracts of arid land can be reclaimed by these waters and opened for settlement.
Defeated Democratic candidate for the U.S. Presidency William Jennings Bryan
William Jennings Bryan
William Jennings Bryan was an American politician in the late-19th and early-20th centuries. He was a dominant force in the liberal wing of the Democratic Party, standing three times as its candidate for President of the United States...
told the delegates he was opposed "to turning over large bodies of land to corporations controlling water rights, unless safeguards were thrown around the transaction to protect small holders of irrigable land."
1898
The 1898 congress in Cheyenne, Wyoming
Cheyenne, Wyoming
Cheyenne is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Wyoming and the county seat of Laramie County. It is the principal city of the Cheyenne, Wyoming, Metropolitan Statistical Area which encompasses all of Laramie County. The population is 59,466 at the 2010 census. Cheyenne is the...
, called for the federal government to allocate "no less than $100,000 for hydrographic surveys for the measurement of streams and the survey of reservoir
Reservoir
A reservoir , artificial lake or dam is used to store water.Reservoirs may be created in river valleys by the construction of a dam or may be built by excavation in the ground or by conventional construction techniques such as brickwork or cast concrete.The term reservoir may also be used to...
sites" and urged the formation of a forestry bureau
History of the United States Forest Service
Starting in 1876, and undergoing a series of name changes, the U.S. Forest Service grew to protect and utilize millions of acres of forest on public land...
. But a Colorado legislator reportedly likened the America West "to a graveyard, littered with defunct irrigation corporations."
1899
A battle developed at the 1899 Wichita, Kansas
Wichita, Kansas
Wichita is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kansas.As of the 2010 census, the city population was 382,368. Located in south-central Kansas on the Arkansas River, Wichita is the county seat of Sedgwick County and the principal city of the Wichita metropolitan area...
, meeting of another Western body — the Trans-Mississippi Congress — over the stand by the National Irrigation Congress favoring federal "storage reservoirs" and the "leasing of the public grazing lands by the states without cession and those who advocated the public lands to the States and Territories." After much debate, the Trans-Mississippi
Trans-Mississippi
The Trans-Mississippi was the geographic area west of the Mississippi River during the 19th century, containing the states of Arkansas, Louisiana, Missouri and Texas, and the Indian Territory . The term was especially used by the Confederate States of America as the designation for the theater of...
group endorsed the policy of the Irrigation Congress.
The 1900 meeting of the Irrigation Congress in Chicago, Illinois, featured a paper read by Captain Hiram M. Chittenden
Hiram M. Chittenden
Hiram Martin Chittenden was the Seattle district engineer for the Army Corps of Engineers for whom the Hiram M. Chittenden Locks in Seattle, Washington, were named.-Early Life:...
of the Army Corps of Engineers contending that the best way to get the U.S. Congress to act on irrigation was to "divorce the storage reservoir problem from that of irrigation in general, that the former is properly within the field of the General Government, and is in a fair way to secure favorable action by Congress, provided that it is well understood that no attempt will be made to involve the Government in irrigation work
Irrigation management
Irrigation is the artificial exploitation and distribution of water at project level aiming at application of water at field level to agricultural crops in dry areas or in periods of scarce rainfall to assure or improve crop production...
."
Twentieth century
The eleventh congress was held in Ogden, Utah
Ogden, Utah
Ogden is a city in Weber County, Utah, United States. Ogden serves as the county seat of Weber County. The population was 82,825 according to the 2010 Census. The city served as a major railway hub through much of its history, and still handles a great deal of freight rail traffic which makes it a...
, in September 1903, with Senator William A. Clark of Montana as chairman. The agenda included "Practical irrigation and forestry lessons; reports of experts; application of provisions of the Reclamation act
Newlands Reclamation Act
The Reclamation Act of 1902 is a United States federal law that funded irrigation projects for the arid lands of 20 states in the American West....
; State progress under the National act; views on settlement of legal complications, and the theme of colonization."
Commander Frederick Booth-Tucker
Frederick Booth-Tucker
Commissioner Frederick St. George de Lautour Booth-Tucker, was a senior Salvation Army officer of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, and the son in law of General William Booth, the Army's Founder.-Early life:...
of the Salvation Army
Salvation Army
The Salvation Army is a Protestant Christian church known for its thrift stores and charity work. It is an international movement that currently works in over a hundred countries....
made the principal address, arguing on behalf of the a plan to "colonize the irrigated lands of the West with poor people from the cities." He said some 3,000 acres of land had been settled in such a way in Colorado, California and Ohio.
1905
The 1905 meeting of the congress, held in Portland, Oregon
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
, in conjunction with the Lewis and Clark Centennial Exposition
Lewis and Clark Centennial Exposition
The Lewis and Clark Centennial Exposition, commonly also known as the Lewis and Clark Exposition, and officially known as the Lewis and Clark Centennial American Pacific Exposition and Oriental Fair, was a worldwide exposition held in Portland, Oregon, United States in 1905 to celebrate the...
, attacted 1,200 delegates. A plan to hold "sectional meetings" was deemed a failure because most of the delegates preferred to attend the fair instead, a New York Times reporter said.
1906
The congress took a stand against any "legislative concessions in favor of Philippine sugar," a nation recently conquered by the United States, so that sugar-beet production "may be fully developed in the arid regions of America." The delegates also rescinded a resolution that the 11th conference had adopted in 1903 endorsing Zea Maize
Maize
Maize known in many English-speaking countries as corn or mielie/mealie, is a grain domesticated by indigenous peoples in Mesoamerica in prehistoric times. The leafy stalk produces ears which contain seeds called kernels. Though technically a grain, maize kernels are used in cooking as a vegetable...
as the "national floral emblem."
The congress was opened in Sacramento, California
Sacramento, California
Sacramento is the capital city of the U.S. state of California and the county seat of Sacramento County. It is located at the confluence of the Sacramento River and the American River in the northern portion of California's expansive Central Valley. With a population of 466,488 at the 2010 census,...
in September, held in conjunction with a colorful Interstate Exposition of Irrigated Land and Forest Products. The "four great objects of the congress" were "To save the forests, store the floods, reclaim the deserts, and make homes on the land." Agronomist Luther Burbank
Luther Burbank
Luther Burbank was an American botanist, horticulturist and a pioneer in agricultural science.He developed more than 800 strains and varieties of plants over his 54-year career. Burbank's varied creations included fruits, flowers, grains, grasses, and vegetables...
, the "Wizard of the Plant Industry," told the delegates he had developed a "thornless cactus" that would "become the great fodder of arid regions."
1908
For the 12-day conference in Albuquerque, New Mexico
Albuquerque, New Mexico
Albuquerque is the largest city in the state of New Mexico, United States. It is the county seat of Bernalillo County and is situated in the central part of the state, straddling the Rio Grande. The city population was 545,852 as of the 2010 Census and ranks as the 32nd-largest city in the U.S. As...
, beginning September 29, the federal government appropriated $50,000 to underwrite an exposition exhibiting the products of agriculture. Territorial Governor George Curry
George Curry
George Curry may refer to:*George Curry , Governor of New Mexico Territory and U.S. Representative*George Law Curry , U.S. politician*George Curry *S. George Curry , Canadian architect-See also:...
moved his office from the state capital at Santa Fe
Santa Fe, New Mexico
Santa Fe is the capital of the U.S. state of New Mexico. It is the fourth-largest city in the state and is the seat of . Santa Fe had a population of 67,947 in the 2010 census...
so he could be on hand to greet the 4,000 people who eventually arrived. New Mexicans used the event to drum up support for statehood, which was granted four years later, in 1912. A reporter reviewing the event said that:
The toniclike effect of the entire affair buoyed spirits of Albuquerque's many boosters and reinforced in them the conviction that their city, in the century stretching ahead, was marked for bright and wondrous things.
1909
Gifford Pinchot
Gifford Pinchot
Gifford Pinchot was the first Chief of the United States Forest Service and the 28th Governor of Pennsylvania...
, who had been appointed by President William McKinley
William McKinley
William McKinley, Jr. was the 25th President of the United States . He is best known for winning fiercely fought elections, while supporting the gold standard and high tariffs; he succeeded in forging a Republican coalition that for the most part dominated national politics until the 1930s...
to head the government's Division of Forestry in 1898, and who had run the U.S. Forest Service since it had taken over management of forest reserves from the General Land Office
General Land Office
The General Land Office was an independent agency of the United States government responsible for public domain lands in the United States. It was created in 1812 to take over functions previously conducted by the United States Department of the Treasury...
in 1905, became convinced that U.S. Secretary of the Interior Richard Achilles Ballinger
Richard Achilles Ballinger
Richard Achilles Ballinger was mayor of Seattle, Washington, from 1904–1906 and U.S. Secretary of the Interior from 1909–1911.Ballinger was born in Boonesboro, Iowa...
intended to "stop the conservation movement". In August, speaking at the annual meeting of the National Irrigation Congress in Spokane, Washington
Spokane, Washington
Spokane is a city located in the Northwestern United States in the state of Washington. It is the largest city of Spokane County of which it is also the county seat, and the metropolitan center of the Inland Northwest region...
, he accused Ballinger of siding with private trusts
Trust (19th century)
A special trust or business trust is a business entity formed with intent to monopolize business, to restrain trade, or to fix prices. Trusts gained economic power in the U.S. in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Some, but not all, were organized as trusts in the legal sense...
in his handling of water power issues.
In his opening speech at the congress, chairman George E. Barstow
George E. Barstow
George Eames Barstow , described as a "capitalist and irrigation pioneer," was a Texas land developer and a member of both the Providence, Rhode Island, common council and the city's school board , as well as the State Assembly from 1894 to 1896...
urged the government to find work for (overseas) immigrants "out West
Western United States
.The Western United States, commonly referred to as the American West or simply "the West," traditionally refers to the region comprising the westernmost states of the United States. Because the U.S. expanded westward after its founding, the meaning of the West has evolved over time...
," to provide them with transportation and to lend them money to establish homes.
1910
The 1910 conference in Pueblo, Colorado
Pueblo, Colorado
Pueblo is a Home Rule Municipality that is the county seat and the most populous city of Pueblo County, Colorado, United States. The population was 106,595 in 2010 census, making it the 246th most populous city in the United States....
, was highlighted by a dispute over whether water policy should be in the hands of the federal government or, as sought by congress chairman Frank C. Goudy of Denver, "larger private and State holdings in irrigation projects." The congress endorsed federal control of interstate water "by a substantial majority."
At the Chicago, Illinois meeting, a move was afoot to change the name of the organization to National Reclamation Congress and "make the reclaiming of the swamp and lowlands of the South the primary object and the irrigation of the Southwest and the West a secondary matter." The attempt was not carried out. At one session, Gifford Pinchot
Gifford Pinchot
Gifford Pinchot was the first Chief of the United States Forest Service and the 28th Governor of Pennsylvania...
, "President Roosevelt's
Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt was the 26th President of the United States . He is noted for his exuberant personality, range of interests and achievements, and his leadership of the Progressive Movement, as well as his "cowboy" persona and robust masculinity...
right-hand man and former chieft of the government forestry service" was verbally attacked "and his widely heralded policy of conservaton was declared to be 'fantastic.'" The congress split into two factions over the matter.
1912
The session in Salt Lake City had on the agenda such items as "Irrigation of the Great West," "Storing of the Floods" and "Heeding the Call of the Landless Man for the Manless Land." The congress saw a change in name to International Irrigation Congress and ended with a resolution favoring control of water resources by the federal government, and not by the states. Henry S. Graves
Henry S. Graves
Henry Solon Graves was a forest administrator in the United States. He founded the Yale School of Forestry in 1900, the oldest continuous forestry school in the United States...
, United States forester, who gave the principal address, favored the latter proposal.
1914
The regular meeting of the Irrigation Congress was scheduled for Calgary, Alberta, Canada, October 5 through 9. (In April a Trans-Missouri Irrigation Conference, not affiliated with the ongoing organization, had been held in Denver, Colorado, at the call of Secretary of the Interior Franklin Knight Lane
Franklin Knight Lane
Franklin Knight Lane was an American Democratic politician from California who served as United States Secretary of the Interior from 1913 to 1920...
, who had "issued a broad invitation to all persons interested in irrigation," with the meetings "open to all.")
1915
The congress was held at four locations in Northern California
Northern California
Northern California is the northern portion of the U.S. state of California. The San Francisco Bay Area , and Sacramento as well as its metropolitan area are the main population centers...
September 12 through 20: Stockton
Stockton, California
Stockton, California, the seat of San Joaquin County, is the fourth-largest city in the Central Valley of the U.S. state of California. With a population of 291,707 at the 2010 census, Stockton ranks as this state's 13th largest city...
, Fresno
Fresno, California
Fresno is a city in central California, United States, the county seat of Fresno County. As of the 2010 census, the city's population was 510,365, making it the fifth largest city in California, the largest inland city in California, and the 34th largest in the nation...
, Sacramento
Sacramento, California
Sacramento is the capital city of the U.S. state of California and the county seat of Sacramento County. It is located at the confluence of the Sacramento River and the American River in the northern portion of California's expansive Central Valley. With a population of 466,488 at the 2010 census,...
and San Francisco
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
.
1916
El Paso, Texas
El Paso, is a city in and the county seat of El Paso County, Texas, United States, and lies in far West Texas. In the 2010 census, the city had a population of 649,121. It is the sixth largest city in Texas and the 19th largest city in the United States...
, was highlighted by the dedication of the new Elephant Butte Dam
Elephant Butte Dam
Elephant Butte Dam or Elephant Butte Dike is a concrete gravity dam on the Rio Grande near Truth or Consequences, New Mexico. The river was dammed here, impounding the Elephant Butte Reservoir for recreation and agriculture, lessening the downstream flow from a Rio Bravo to a stream a foot deep.The...
in Elephant Butte, New Mexico
Elephant Butte, New Mexico
Elephant Butte is a city in Sierra County, New Mexico, United States, near Elephant Butte Reservoir and State Park. The population was 1,390 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Elephant Butte is located at ....
, on October 15. One evening featured a debate on whether irrigation should be a governmental or private enterprise, with Will R. King
William R. King (judge)
William R. King was an American politician and judge in the state of Oregon. He was the 37th Associate Justice of the Oregon Supreme Court...
, chief counsel for the U.S. Reclamation Service, arguing for the former and Judge Carroll R. Graves of Seattle, Washington, saying that "private exploitation would give better results." At the same congress:
William E. Smythe, of San Francisco, known as the "father" of the congress, proposed that a temple be erected as a memorial to the work of the irrigation pioneers.
People associated with the congress
- Fred Lind AllesFred Lind AllesFred Lind Alles was a businessman and civic leader in Los Angeles, California, during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, serving as secretary or other officer for various committees and for the National Irrigation Congress.-Professional life:...
, secretary of the congress's national executive committee between 1893 and 1895.
- James H. BradyJames H. BradyJames Henry Brady was a U.S. politician from the Republican Party. He served as the eighth Governor of Idaho from 1909 to 1911 and a United States Senator representing Idaho from 1913 until his death.-Biography:...
, Idaho governor, vice president of the congress from 1896 to 1898 and a member of its executive committee from 1900 until 1904 and vice president again from 1904 to 1908
- George Eames Barstow, financier, chairman of the congress's Pan-American committee and president of the congress in 1908–09
- Richard Fenner Burges, president of the International Irrigation Congress in 1915
- Joseph M. CareyJoseph M. CareyJoseph Maull Carey was a lawyer, rancher, judge, and politician, who spent most of his political career in Wyoming before and after it achieved statehood.-Biography:...
of Cheyenne, Wyoming, congress president in 1897
- Governor George E. Chamberlain of Oregon, congress president in 1906
- Israel L. Diesem, president of the Kansas State Board of Agriculture, who "attended nearly half of the annual sessions of the National Irrigation Congress since its inception"
- B.A. Fowler of Phoenix, Arizona, president in 1909–1910
- Frank C. Goudy of Denver, Colorado, president 1907-1908
- F. Robert Insinger of Spokane, Washington, chairman of the board of the congress held in that city in 1910
- Herbert Burdell Maxson of Nevada and California, who served for eight years as congress secretary.
- James H. McClintockJames H. McClintockJames Henry McClintock was an American author.Born in Sacramento, California, McClintock was educated at the California Academy. He moved to Arizona, and wrote on the history of Arizona, serving as the Arizona State Historian.-External links:...
, Arizona member of the executive committee and secretary
- Senator Francis G. NewlandsFrancis G. NewlandsFrancis Griffith Newlands was a United States Representative and Senator from Nevada.-Early life:Newlands was born in Natchez, Mississippi, on August 28, 1846...
of Nevada, president in 1911–12
- California Governor George C. Pardee, two-term president of the congress
- Nevada Senator William Stewart, who helped start the organization
- New Mexico State Senator George W. SwinkGeorge W. SwinkGeorge Washington Swink, or G.W. Swink, was a landowner and politician in Colorado and is said to have been the holder of the first timber claim certificate in the United States, issued by President Grover Cleveland on November 3, 1887....
, active in promoting the sugar-beet industry.
- Ralph E. TwitchellRalph E. TwitchellRalph E. Twitchell was mayor of Santa Fe, New Mexico, and chairman of the Rio Grande Commission, which drafted a treaty between the United States and Mexico leading to the building of the Elephant Butte Dam in his state. Twitchell helped organize the first National Irrigation Congress in 1891...
, a mayor of Santa Fe, New Mexico, who helped organize the first irrigation congress.