A Brief History of Federal Labor and Irrigation in Southwest Idaho

The Bureau of Reclamation President Theodore Roosevelt, 1902 Director Frederick Haynes Newell, 1902 The Bureau of Reclamation The Bureau of Reclamation (or Reclamation Service as it was first called) was formed in 1902 under President Theodore Roosevelt. With Director Frederick Haynes Newell at the helm they started one of the most ambitious engineering projects in history. Their efforts to irrigate the Great Basin Desert inspired other nations and engineers the world over. Map of the western regions. Idaho is in the Pacific Northwest. Reclamtion head office is in Denver.

John Wesley powell Beyond the Hundredth meridian . John Wesley Powell was the first American to study the West and design plans for irrigation. In his Report….. Powell outlined what the United States must do to make the West habitable for further migration. He advocated a slow, planned settlement into the West, with an emphasis on communal use of water. Even though his ideas were both eco-friendly and ensured water for everyone, the government ignored his design. Many felt it sounded too socialistic. Also as his designs were based on those of the LDS pioneers and many were skeptical in following any project advocated by Brigham Young and his followers. Here we see Powell with a Paiute tribesman and an example of successful Mormon irrigation in Utah. John Wesley powell Beyond the Hundredth meridian

Anarchism

Early Homesteading in southwest idaho The Treasure Valley was a very difficult area to Homestead. With the exception of those directly off of the Boise and Snake Rivers, Water was very difficult to come by. Those living off-stream had to pay premium prices for any water diverted to their farms. One of the first efforts to irrigate the entire area began in 1883 with railroad investors who employed AD Foote (husband of writer and artist MH Foote. While his designs were inspired, financial problems and corruption continually dogged the project. By 1890 only 6 miles of the New York Canal had been dug. Mary Hallock Foote “The Irrigating Ditch”-1889

The first Reclamation project in Idaho was the Minidoka Project in the Magic Valley. The project was one of the very first in the nation. The site was chosen for several reasons. The people were extremely interested in seeing the projects through (Carey Act). Out of the way could experiment with designs, gear, etc. Natural advantages. Firsts, designs, powerplant women, brought immigrants. The Minidoka Project

The Boise/Payette Irrigation Project The Owyhee Irrigation Project Here are two maps showing the irrigation divisions in the Treasure Valley area. The First map shows the Owyhee Project. The green area shows the areas irrigated by the Owyhee dam, reservoir, and North and South Canals. The second map shows the Payette and Arrowrock or Boise Divisions. Today it is known as the Payette/Boise Project. It encompasses six reclamation and on Army Corps of Engineer dam. Lake Lowell is part of the Boise-Payette Project, which includes 6 reservoirs, 2 diversion dams, 3 power plants, 7 pumping plants, over 2000 miles of canals, and 650 miles of drains. Farmers using Boise Project facilities have turned 390,000 acres in southwest Idaho and eastern Oregon into one of the West’s most productive farming regions. Treasure Valley Boise Project- Arrowrock/Anderson Ranch 164,000 acres 27,000 kw between DD and Anderson Payette- Black Canyon, Deadwood, Cascade 61,000 acres Black Canyon-10,000 kw Flood control, 48,000 acres surface water 23,000 acres land Owyhee 105,000 acres 30,000 acres  

Force Account- Federal Employees at Deer Flat The first federal employees. Before we get into the CCC it is important to look at the Reclamtion projects the enrollees worked on and how they were built.

The Deer Flat Upper Embankment marks the first time any federal agency hired it’s own workforce. The Reclamation Service was unhappy with the bids offered by private companies so they decided to do the work themselves. Here are several pictures of the federal employees where they worked. Pictures one and three show the federal camp. Two and four show the gear used by the Reclamation Service.

Deer Flat National Wildlife Refuge Channel Catfish Visitor Center Red Fox Western Rattlesnake American Kestrel

Slide 11. Diversion Dam- New York Canal 1906-1909- Utah fire –proofing company Problems with foremen- 18 guys Logging foreman, maliciously Powerplant- Arrowrock- 1911, 1912 3 turbines 1,500 kw

Arrowrock Dam The Idea for Arrowrock goes back to AD Foote. Construction began with the first publiclly owned rail line in 1910. Thre Reclamation service snuck the cost of the line into the financing for the dam (technically illegal). Construction on the dam began in 1911. The dam supported a camp of over 900 people that became a small resort. The dam was completed in 1915 and at 348’ tall it was the tallest dam in the nation. It was also the first dam to have internal thermometers and used a record amount of concrete. By all accounts, the crews were extremely efficient and set several construction records.

Work on the Black Canyon Dam began near Emmett Work on the Black Canyon Dam began near Emmett. It is considered a diversion dam as it directly feeds the Black Canyon North Canyon Canals. The construction of the Dam went very smoothly and used both private and federal crews. Yet when it was finished the Emmett Irrigation District spent years coordinating the canals and water rights. It is 184’ tall with an 8,000 kw power plant. Black Canyon Dam

D E A W O D A M Construction on Deadwood began in 1929 under the Utah Construction Company with the provision that it would be completed by 1931. Work wnet at a breakneck pace and the MK Crew broke several more records raising the dam. It also became the first site that used trucks rather than rail. The trucks used perfected the air brakes used on all commercial rigs today. 165’

Owyhee Project Surveys for the Owyhee dam began in 1903 but construction did not start until 1926. Power for constrction came from the Black Canyon Dam. MK used the site as a testing ground for the Hoover Dam. At 417’ it eclipsed Arrowrock and was the tallest structure until the Hoover was completed in 193_. At the Owyhee, engineers perfected the cooling pipe system now used at every large dam in the world.

1935-1942 the moral equivalent of war President Franklin Delano Roosevelt 1935-1942 the moral equivalent of war

WPA and the CCC Between 1935 and 1942, over 1,800 CCC and WPA members worked on Reclamation Projects in the Southwest Idaho. While their work was far less exciting than that of their friends in the Idaho mountains, it proved just as important. By helping clear canals, build roads, and reface dams the men stationed in the Boise Valley helped establish the Treasure Valley as one of the nation’s premier farming regions in the nation.

BR-24- Deer Flat

Br-25 & Br-26

Owyhee Project: BR-42, BR-43

Anderson Ranch

Cascade

OTHER DAMS OF SOUTHWEST IDAHO SNAKE RIVER C.J. Strike Swan Falls

OTHER DAMS OF SOUTHWEST IDAHO BOISE & WEISER RIVERS Lucky Peak Mann Creek

World War II Hops in Wilder Farm Girl German POWs

Agriculture and Irrigation Ditchrider Tom Patton Working the Fields Nampa Flour and Feed