A History Of Water Power And Irrigation In The Western United States
Early Times
Ancient people of the west used water conveyance systems to sustain life in hot and dry climates of the southwest. Today’s modern irrigation builds on these foundational systems.
1450-600 B.C.E.
Hohokam people of the American Southwest engineer a sophisticated network of canals in present-day Arizona. Using sticks, Native Americans excavate canals 12 feet deep, fanning out into a larger network of smaller canals.
Source: Arizona Archives, Carl T. Hayden Photograph Collection C, 5, Map 280
Early Times
Ancient people of the west used water conveyance systems to sustain life in hot and dry climates of the southwest. Today’s modern irrigation builds on these foundational systems.
1867
Building on the long-abandoned Hohokam canal system, former prospector Jack Swilling forms Swilling Irrigating and Canal Co. at Wickenburg, Arizona. The following summer the first crops – wheat, barley and corn – are harvested, and Phoenix is established as a trading post to serve local farmers’ needs.
Making Laws
As the population in the west grew, it became clear that water would be an integral part of the Western settlers’ success. Regulations to protect this scarce resource provided security.
1877
The Desert Land Act encourages and promotes economic development of arid and semiarid public lands in U.S. Western states. Through the act, individuals may apply for tracts of arid and semiarid public lands to irrigate and cultivate.
