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HISTORY OF WATER DEVELOPMENT Water development in the Arkansas River basin of Colorado can be divided into four distinct, progressive, generally chronological phases: (l) Develop- ment of direct diversions; (2) development of water storage; (3) importation of water by transmountain diversion; and (4) development of ground water. Earliest development was the diversion of water from a flowing stream for direct use, either to irrigate a farm plot, to wash gravel in a placer-mining operation, or to turn a mill wheel. The earliest appropriation date listed in Irrigation Division 2, March 3l, l859, is that of the Hicklin ditch on Greenhorn Creek. Evidence indicates that irrigation was being used at this location much earlier. Lieutenant E.G. Beckwith, traveling through the area with Captain John W. Gunnison's party in l853, reported that the waters of Greenhorn Creek were diverted to water the fields of six Mexican families in the valley. And, while no mention was made of irrigation, George Frederick Ruxton, who passed through the area in l847, found a settlement of French- Canadian hunters and their Indian wives farming the Greenhorn Valley (Taylor, 1963). There is history of still earlier irrigation in the basin. In the valley of the Purgatoire River,. just downstream from the present town of Trinidad, an irrigation ditch was dug by the Bents (of Bent's Fort fame) in l847. A man named Hatcher operated the enterprise and the ditch has been called Hatcher ditch. After a short period, the ditch was abandoned. In l864, this ditch was taken over and rehabilitated by John Lewelling. The Lewelling-McCormack Ditch is. still in operation (McHendrie, 1928). These early ditches irrigated small plots on the flood plain of the Arkansas River or its tributaries; they were operated by one or two farm units. Some ditches served the headgates of several farms, but all were located on the flood plain and required little or no engineering to get the water to the land. Many had no diversion dam, but relied on a headgate at stream level. After all the irrigatable acres on the flood plain became occupied, irrigation began on the terraces above the river bottom. Getting water to the terraces was more difficult, requiring more engineering and more expense. To overcome these obstacles, a number of farm units would band together and form a mutual irrigation company. The area served by flood-plain and tributary ditches was of the magnitude of tens or hundreds of acres; the area served by mutual ditch companies was of the magnitude of thousands or tens of thousands of acres. To justify the expense of such an undertaking, these mutual compa- nies commonly bought earlier water rights of the smaller ditches. By the middle l880's, the Arkansas River and its tributaries were fully appropriated for normal or average years. In most areas, water rights later than l887 are little more than flood rights, and will not provide a dependable supply. However, water is available as high flow during snowmelt and after summer rainstorms. Also, flow occurs in the river at times other than the irrigation season. These flows have been diverted to fallow ground to recharge soil moisture and the ground-water system, and, to some extent, this practice still is followed. However, these early or late season and peak flows generally are not available to or wanted by direct-flow water rights, as these flows come at times inconvenient to farming operations, or at rates in excess of canal capabilities. 8 .", . . ;.' ~ r .' ~~ i .:-- ~; .: . . . '~.-. ."5- ..~ ~