Upper Snake River Valley Irrigation ~ 228
Posted by: 
brwhiz
N 43° 29.824 W 112° 02.471
12T E 415821 N 4816542
The early Snake Valley pioneers turned desert into lush farmland via irrigation canals.
Waymark Code: WMDJ5K
Location: Idaho, United States
Date Posted: 01/19/2012
Views: 7
Daughters of Utah Pioneers
No. 229
Erected 1956
Upper Snake River Valley Irrigation
The fertile soil and abundance of water in this
valley lured pioneer settlers. With small slip
scrapers, hand plows, picks and shovels, they
cleared sagebrush, built built log homes, made canals,
ditches and dams to put water on the land. One of the
first canals was built in 1879-1880. Rock and brush
dams were built to divert water into headgates. Men
lost their lives in this work. Later canals were
enlarged and better dams built. The largest dam,
known as the "Great Feeder", completed June 22, 1895,
diverts water from South Fork into a network of
canals. Through consolidation of canal systems,
700,000 acres of irrigated land with 100 canals,
known as the Upper Portion of District No.36, are
using 4,150,000 acre feet of water from the river
and its tributaries each irrigation season. Here the
dream of reclaimed desert has been brought to
full fruition. This is the legacy left by those
pioneers to present and future generations.
Marker Name: Upper Snake River Valley Irrigation
Marker Number: 228
Marker Text:
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