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The Pueblo Chieftain Online <br />CHIEFTAIN PHOTOS /CHRIS <br />MCLEAN <br />Water flows from a pipe <br />into an irrigation ditch on <br />South Road near 36th <br />Lane. <br />Page 3 of 5 <br />The ditch, like most of Pueblo, was devastated by flooding on the Arkansas and <br />Fountain Creek June 3 -5, 1921. Besides the massive damage to the ditch, its office <br />in a building at South Union and B Street was flooded and its records, including all <br />the engineering sketches and plans, were destroyed. But on June 9, less than a <br />week after the flood, the board met to authorize its superintendent to hire crews <br />to rebuild. <br />More than 75 horse teams with slips were hired, as well as a clamshell excavator <br />and a steam shovel, and the board's goal was to turn water back into the ditch by <br />July 15. The going rate for unskilled labor was 43 cents an hour, or for a team of <br />horses and driver, 80 cents an hour. <br />J.N. Ritchie, who was superintendent at the time of the flood, remained in the job <br />until he died on duty in 1932, but he was a short -timer compared to two of his <br />successors. A.N. Dallimore was superintendent of the ditch from 1935 to 1974, <br />and William Mullen served from 1974 to 2003. Michael Hill is the superintendent <br />now. <br />By 1960, the ditch was crossed by 32 bridges in Pueblo, some footbridges and <br />some carrying cars. It is used to irrigate yards and gardens in the West Park area <br />west of City Park, as well as the park itself and Elmwood Golf Course, then <br />wanders through the city, past the steel mill and through a pipe over Salt Creek, <br />to the St. Charles Mesa. It still irrigates about 20,000 acres at the rate of an 1 <br />acre per share, and has about 900 shareholders and 200 miles of laterals <br />http: / /www. chieftain. com /print.php ?article= /metro/1123480800/4 8/9/2005 <br />