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<br />
<br />Water developlnent tamed an unreliable river
<br />
<br />n~ CIIRIS "OOIH\.\
<br />Ihl'lI,I>/,,('/iidluill
<br />l ,)~)hJJlg at hld;J) \ v.dl-lklin~'J "y~.
<br />1,'l1l of Tl"'.cn niTs. ('ana" and ditdll.'S.
<br />gr,'('ll lawn.. and irl\ilillg rl'<':fI:alion~d
<br />\\:Jtcrs..1 j" h:lrd to im;lglllc thill f11l'n
<br />hitH'lx'Cl1 sharing the t\rh;Jns;J'i Ri\ef
<br />f,'rnnly I..Wy....aT..
<br />In ih natural 'l;lle. the Arbn,Ols nil
<br />thwugh m\lUnl>1in, 10 IllI.' f"O(hill, of
<br />Ih...' RI1\:kic\ :lnJ Itllllbk'd (lut onto the
<br />plam" into a llIuddy ril\'rtx'd ..b..H11 I I,
<br />miles \\ide. [ad} spring. the ri\l'r flll\\
<br />\\oulo swdl \1 h...'ll lho.:- "110\\ N:gan mdt-
<br />Ill!,! in the Illoun!;lilh TllI.'rc lIere!lO
<br />!;the.. III S[llp Ih.... 110\\ Ill" the Ilal....r iH:rlh"
<br />ttw pbin..
<br />Alon~Ull' mer grl'll gi.lllll'ollnn-
<br />\\,'(Id.. I Ill' ~Ufr;ll\) gra/l'd III thl.' an..-a
<br />until ;Io,lul r}l72. \\I1...'n shel'l' ;Jnd l.:alllc
<br />H'pl~ll.'l'd lhl'll1
<br />Th..:- lirsl r1..'l'pnkd dIH'r~'Ol1llr \\atn
<br />III Colorado ~.11H1~ th..:- rih'r Wil" III I~.P,
<br />\\I'l'1\ the Iknh pi'llll.'n Ir~lder~ in till.'
<br />ar,',. dug an irrig:~llilln ditr.:h \111' th..:-
<br />"L1rg~lt(lirc Ri\,'r near Trinidad.
<br />()in~rsi(llls tx-g~1I1 in {'arn{'q when gllld
<br />attral.:ll.-d miners \0 Ihl' area in \h(' klle
<br />11550\. F:lrlllin~. Illillillg .Uld milling 111-
<br />lcre\tlo "ollghllo u..c the Ark.In>,;,}" Ri\er
<br />Iv IIll'('1 their 11l.eth..
<br />Th,' state's sptem (lf~lrpr(lrriatilln
<br />righh lx-gan in IS59 I\ith Ihe IIid.lin
<br />Dl!ch. ()owmtn:alll f,lrITIers sought 10
<br />rn'''Cne IIll.'ir right to U'>C water in Iht'
<br />(,lI,'e of gro\1. ing demands on the ri\t'r h)
<br />pl;u..'er llHnt'S. Th\., sy..tern of aprropri:l-
<br />tlllll ..till i.. lIS('tlloda\ \\ith the ....,ldi1...sl
<br />pri(lrlt) date, rcr.:ei\'irlp Ihe !in..t ll',e (If
<br />watl'r from the rh1..'f.
<br />Other ditchl.'s IkH:lopl..'d along tht' ri\.
<br />er as farml:lIld ill the rh'er\ Ih>l.'ltIplain
<br />lx'\.'ilme una\ailali1c. The water wa' u'-\.'d
<br />10 Irrigate 1:lIld a~nt'lhl' ri\er.
<br />Dre<lming ahout \\:lIer\ power to Sllp-
<br />p"rt ('i\ili/alion tx:gan in the lalt' I SOU...
<br />S\\ink farml'r Frank Mikmki noted th;1t
<br />eilrl) lk\dofX'r.. louh:d the arid plains (ll'
<br />St'uth..:':l"l"rn Colonldo <IS ;J "gardl'n or
<br />Elk'II" to folks had, east \ll1en {'anal,
<br />\\;th rcl.ltild} junior waler ri!!hh \Iert'
<br />hein!! huilt.
<br />II) the Il<SOs. tlk'Ark.III';':!" Ri\\.'r\la,>
<br />,lppropriatetl in normal )l'ar~. That
<br />fx'g,lIl an {'n. Of\\al..:'r s(Or:lgl' and lran,-
<br />nounl:!in din'rsion...
<br />L.h' Ih:nr\'. LIke Men.-dlth. IhL"
<br />:-irt'al Pbilh R..:'......nllir S\...tl.'rn and Twin
<br />_ake, were all de\l'lllfl\.'d"to ..tore :lgri-
<br />'Ulltlf,11 wall.'r in lhe carll. 1900....
<br />John Marlin Rl''>Ct'\oir ne;lf L.,>
<br />\nlm.l.; \\a~ l.'(llllplcl..:'d 1Il 19-13 In s<lti,f)
<br />l":-lTl:IlIds llfd(l\llhtrC:l1ll \\<111.'1' U'o.:r~. An
<br />IIfl'rmalagr\'ernelll.H thl.'llrn.:l'IL'I\IWn
<br />:1.111(;,do .IOLI "ath;\\ Ix'(:,lll1e the
<br />\rkan\i" RI\L'I COtllP<l,.t in 194X.
<br />PUl'lilo Rt'sL'noir \\;l\ buill .1' a rl'suh
<br />f the rryingp:ul-ArblhilS Pmj':I'1 that
<br />q!;rn III 19h2. Tht' PwhJI' Ibm \1.1'"
<br />LJlllpktcd in J 975.
<br />Tr:lIl~tllmllltain di\ersions starlL'd in
<br />S~O \\ henlhe h\ Lng Pla,w Dilr.:h
<br />rough I \\'t'''1 Slllpc \I..ltcr hlthl..' ffllnt
<br />lngI.'. Tr,lINllllulll:lin dildlL'~ l'OlllilllK'd
<br />,;r \I.I} III ~uppkml'llt agrkuhur.d \I<l-
<br />'f in Ihe ,Hid Ark;Jn\;1\ hilsin. EIl'lIlu<Ll"
<br />. pir'l\.'lines I'L'pl.ll-l'd Ihe ditr.:h..:...
<br />In thL' 1950... and I%Os. \\1.'11.. ~'l.':llTl('.1
<br />ajllr SOtlfr.:e llfagrii."uJtur;r1 \\,Ito.:r in the
<br />rkall...:l') \'alle}. Oi\l~ioll Enginl'\.'r
<br />L'W Wittl' Iwt..:'..,hat ill 1965. 188.000
<br />TI.'-li:et l)rw:IIL'r in:l )L'ar \Ias pUIll['l'd
<br />louch I~rrll \\ell~ -l.'lIouch tll irri\1.lle
<br />>llUt\ltlC quarKI' llf th" Arkuns'ls \~1I-
<br />,\ farmland... The r.:ost of pUlllping
<br />d tht' indllsioll ohldb within the ..I>ltl.'
<br />lieI' rights pl'i,)rilY ..}stl'l1l in 1%9 di-
<br />ni..hcd lhdr 0"0(', ho\\c\>;(,
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<br />Th{' era (If large water sale.. _ trans-
<br />ferring agrkuhural \\",.It'r to i.'itit... - be-
<br />g.1Il in thl.tlle I 96(h. Puehll1. Color;Jdo
<br />Sprinl!' and Auror.l h:l\'e Oct'll ,he major
<br />l'ouyer.;..
<br />III the 19~Os, ne\\ I'onr.:epls in v.:Jtt'r
<br />la\\ \lere inlroduced. eilie.. no\\ Hadt'
<br />~\;Iler rights upslrt'..lm 10 1,lkt' adlant;lg{'
<br />ofstlll';Jge.
<br />Qlcr lime. the n...,'d~ of the rnl.'r h;J\c
<br />changed.
<br />Waler law)er John Carl..on llf Dl'll\w
<br />points out that \Ihl'n Clllorado .....al{.r law
<br />l'ILX':lIl1C pari orlhL' slall''s constitution in
<br />1876. thr.:rc were .lOQ,OOQ pl..opl.... in Ih....
<br />...tal..:' and IIl.OOC) III Puehlo. ben Ihen.
<br />\\hen mllsl \\ater W:.IS poured on fidJs.
<br />munir.:ipalllSl.' \\,IS gi\'Cn :l higher priori-
<br />ty.
<br />1\'0\\. more than halfa million pcople
<br />dl.'[X'nd onlllc Arbn..as Ri\('r, The Cjtil'S
<br />ha\'..:- hoomed heYlllld th.... \\ irdt'st dream.;
<br />of cart} piolll'Crs. Whik' the lX'pul,llioll
<br />h:l\ soared. hundreds of tlwusand... of
<br />;reres h;J\e bI."L'n flooded for 'rops. In th....
<br />kist dt'l'at.k rafting has sprung up as..
<br />m;Jjor a(.ti\'it)' on the rher.
<br />ThL' ri\w Iha! (In,"e prO\idl.'d a pas'ur..:'
<br />fnr huIl:l10 and hunting ground for a ft.,\\
<br />Indians ha.. 1x'1..'n I:.med <Ind. \\llh the
<br />hdp {If tr:III'mOllllt:lln supplil'~, fulfill..
<br />the l1L'1.'ds ofrarms and I"ille" alik..:'.
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<br />Now, more than half a million people depend on the .5
<br />Arkansas River. The cities have boomed beyond the wild- ~
<br />est dreams of early pioneers. While the population has
<br />soared, hundreds of thousands 01 acres have been
<br />flooded lor crops, In the last decade rafting has sprung
<br />up as a major activity on the river.
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<br />Before any 01 man's improvements 10 the Arkansas River, II was prone 10 lIood
<br />. as shown in this photograph of Pueblo inundated by the flOOd of 1921
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<br />CONGRATULATIONS
<br />On The Completion Of The
<br />FRYING PAN-ARKANSAS PROJECT
<br />
<br />CONGRATULATIONS
<br />On the completion of
<br />'he Frying Pan-
<br />Arkansas Projection. It
<br />has benefited cities,
<br />farmers & recreation
<br />interests over the last
<br />:2 8 years.
<br />__ OPEN' _
<br />..... DA YS A WEEK ~
<br />'0..1_" and Am.,lt.n Co, ~..,h
<br />PHONE 542.6530
<br />~UTO PARTS ~
<br />J€)HNS0N'S
<br />23898 Ea.' Hw~" 50 i
<br />
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