The need for transportation to bring goods into the Imperial Valley and to ship agriculture products out prompted a citizen demand which finally spurred the construction of a branch line from the Southern Pacific railway near present day Niland south to Imperial early in 1903 and then on to Calexico early in 1904. By 1919, El Centro was linked to San Diego by rail.

To facilitate development and the conducting of business, the desert lands east of the coastal range of mountains were organized into a county structure separate from San Diego in August 1907 and Imperial County was born. Previously only one town, Imperial, had been incorporated; however, in 1908, the cities of Calexico, Brawley, Holtville and El Centro formed official governments. Smaller communities included Heber, Silsbee, Seeley, Niland, Westmorland, and Calipatria. In Mexico, the community of Mexicali, founded about the same time Calexico was established, was thriving.

The desert pioneer was accustomed to hardship. Hard work and harsh weather were all endured to persevere in their dream. Yet hardship of a different form was to follow. Due to inaccuracies in early land surveys Congress authorized a new survey to be taken. Commencing in July 1902, it took more than six years to complete, leaving Valley land titles unofficial for that period and land owners unable to use their property as security for loans.

In addition, a government soil survey, released in January 1902 and expanded in 1903, asserted that the alkaline soil conditions here made "crops absolutely impossible to grow." National attention was already focused on the great undertaking in the Imperial Valley desert, and press reports quoting from the soil survey were completely devastating--credibility and credit were lost.

As if conditions weren't already severe, heavy silt deposits created growing problems for the irrigation project. The river swept this material along in its flow, enough silt, by volume, to raise one square mile of land 53 feet in height each year. The upper end of the canal, all the way into Mexico, was also filling with silt. An opening was dug as a bypass, with no control gate. A series of floods in the winter of 1904-05, resulted in rapid erosion and widening of the temporary bypass opening. The Colorado River flowed full force through this channel and into the Imperial Valley.

Numerous attempts to close the flooded channel were unsuccessful. The California Development Company's credit was severely strained at this point, and the Southern Pacific Company was induced to loan funds so that efforts could be continued to close the break in the riverbank.

In addition to the funds supplied, Southern Pacific dedicated enormous amounts of other resources to stemming the flood waters. Railway cars transported hundreds of tons of rock and gravel in a steady supply from the railway quarries to the river for several months. The rock was piled around trestles driven into the canal bed to stop the flow of the river. An initial closure was achieved in November 1906, but the river soon broke through again. Finally, in February 1907, the river was diverted back to its proper channel.

Results of the flooding were profound. Thirteen thousand acres were lost from the erosion. Salton Sink, virtually dry before the floods, had filled to become a 50-,mile by 15-mile body of water covering 285,000 acres, the largest inland saltwater sea in North America. Damage to the railroad lines exceeded $870,000. Two water companies were now without a water supply, causing a loss of 12,000 acres of crops and forcing families settled in the affected areas to move out, at least temporarily. Many settlers felt the flooding was a sign that desert irrigation was an impossible project, and moved away permanently.

Heavy expenditures for canal improvements and floodwater diversion, as well as lawsuits over losses from floods on both sides of the border and the earlier water shortages in the Imperial Valley, had strained the California Development Company to its financial limit. The company was placed in receivership in December 1909.

Yet true pioneer determination was undaunted and efforts to regroup, rebuild and move ahead began. In 1911, Imperial Valley voters approved the organization of the Imperial Irrigation District. Using bond issues for financing, the Irrigation District purchased the thirteen mutual water companies, bringing the Imperial County water delivery system under a single controlling body. Construction of the extensive drainage system was undertaken, with deep drains laid out to each farm. The first farm tile drainage in the Imperial Valley was in place by 1929.

In 1922, Imperial Valley Congressional Representative Phil Swing introduced legislation calling for construction of a dam at Boulder Canyon, eliminating the possibility of another devastating flood. President Calvin Coolidge signed the bill in December 1928. Today, Hoover Dam and a Brawley elementary school are among the standing tributes to Swing and his efforts.

Construction of a canal running its entire length through United States soil was begun in 1934. Mule teams pulling fresno scrapers carved a path through the desert. Local workers earned three dollars a day at this task. Water was delivered through the All American Canal in 1940 and hydroelectric plants produced power for Imperial Valley just one year later.

Farms and other businesses flourished, and over the years, thousands of people from other areas of the United States and from all over the world migrated here to find the good life those early developers had envisioned. Today, more than 500,000 acres are under production in Imperial County, yielding nearly one billion dollars in crops. The inexpensive land and adequate water supply that drew early pioneers are opening the Imperial Valley to a new breed. The advent of air conditioning coupled with low utility rates have drawn industry to the area. Geothermal Power, aerospace and manufacturing are now important residents in our area.

Each story, whether remembered by a pioneer family member or historian, is a part of the heritage of all the desert's citizens--present to the future.

The memory of the pioneering people of Imperial County, their indomitable spirit and contributions to our society, will be preserved for generations to come.

History of El Centro
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