By Larry Scott
In 1877, early settlers of St. David found water in abundance. The San Pedro was a deep-flowing stream, well stocked with fish and beaver. There was even a lake, just north of where Apache Powder Company was built years later.
Drinking water came from numerous springs nearby. The original St. David Fort was built 300 yards from its water source.
Tall grass grew in swampy areas near the river. The first pioneers noted the vegetation was so abundant, a horseman on a tall horse was nearly invisible a quarter mile away.
It all seemed too good to be true - and perhaps it was. The price became apparent the fall after their arrival. Mosquitoes from swampy areas along the river brought malaria to the newly-formed community.
Apparently the sickness also plagued the newly established Cavalry outpost, Camp Huachuca. It’s said Army engineers determined the solution to the problem was to eliminate the mosquitoes by draining the swamps - which meant the beavers had to go!
Then, in 1880, huge herds of cattle arrived from Texas and other areas to pasture on the abundant grass of the San Pedro Valley. Soon the range was over-grazed. Monsoon rains washed away topsoil and cut deep ravines. In a few short years, the valley was transformed from grassland to desert.
One of St. David’s first priorities had been construction of a canal to divert a portion of the San Pedro river water for irrigating fields. This turned out more difficult than the settlers anticipated. The comparative elevations of river and farm land were such that, ultimately, the finished canal was seven miles long.
With horse-drawn equipment and hand tools, it would have been a daunting task under the best of conditions. But the route was complicated by the washes encountered along the way. A typical wash crossing required large piping through which the water flowed downward, to pass beneath the wash, and then upward, discharging into the canal on the other side.
Building just one of these structures in the remote area with late 1800s resources and technology must have been incredibly difficult and expensive. Ultimately a dozen or more of these crossings were constructed, before the first flow of water could reach the thirsty fields.
But problems continued. Alkali in the water was poisoning the soil. It looked very much as if the community would have to abandon everything, relocate and start over. It’s said the local Bishop called the church to prayer for divine guidance.
Then, on May 3, 1887, the earthquake came! The river disappeared underground, for the most part, which disrupted farming operations even more!
During several years thereafter, people around St. David sometimes declared they could hear water running underground.
There was speculation that it might be possible to drill a well directly into the right aquifer and capture an artesian flow of sufficient quantity for irrigation. As far as was known, no one had actually done it, but it seemed logical.
So, in early 1894, the McRae brothers noticed damp spot in one of their fields, and decided to try. They began hand-digging and, 18 feet down, uncovered an ancient stairway, leading to a clay pot with a hole in the bottom. A tiny stream of water issued from the opening. Encouraged, the brothers rigged a primitive boring apparatus and continued downward. Finally, at 276 feet, they struck artesian water. The well delivered 30 gallons per minute - enough to irrigate about twenty acres of McRae farmland. The well is still flowing today.
The new well generated all the excitement of a silver strike in mining country. Within a few years, about 200 similar wells had been drilled in the region, and approximately 200 acres of St. David farmland were served by artesian water.
During the late 1890s windmills became popular and proved invaluable for household use and stock watering, but these wells did not usually deliver the volume needed for irrigation.
Years later, the community concluded that the answer to their prayers had come in the form of a great earthquake that drove the San Pedro river underground and, somehow, opened the way for a new source of life-giving water.
More by Larry Scott...
In 1877, early settlers of St. David found water in abundance. The San Pedro was a deep-flowing stream, well stocked with fish and beaver. There was even a lake, just north of where Apache Powder Company was built years later.
Drinking water came from numerous springs nearby. The original St. David Fort was built 300 yards from its water source.
Tall grass grew in swampy areas near the river. The first pioneers noted the vegetation was so abundant, a horseman on a tall horse was nearly invisible a quarter mile away.
It all seemed too good to be true - and perhaps it was. The price became apparent the fall after their arrival. Mosquitoes from swampy areas along the river brought malaria to the newly-formed community.
Apparently the sickness also plagued the newly established Cavalry outpost, Camp Huachuca. It’s said Army engineers determined the solution to the problem was to eliminate the mosquitoes by draining the swamps - which meant the beavers had to go!
Then, in 1880, huge herds of cattle arrived from Texas and other areas to pasture on the abundant grass of the San Pedro Valley. Soon the range was over-grazed. Monsoon rains washed away topsoil and cut deep ravines. In a few short years, the valley was transformed from grassland to desert.
One of St. David’s first priorities had been construction of a canal to divert a portion of the San Pedro river water for irrigating fields. This turned out more difficult than the settlers anticipated. The comparative elevations of river and farm land were such that, ultimately, the finished canal was seven miles long.
With horse-drawn equipment and hand tools, it would have been a daunting task under the best of conditions. But the route was complicated by the washes encountered along the way. A typical wash crossing required large piping through which the water flowed downward, to pass beneath the wash, and then upward, discharging into the canal on the other side.
Building just one of these structures in the remote area with late 1800s resources and technology must have been incredibly difficult and expensive. Ultimately a dozen or more of these crossings were constructed, before the first flow of water could reach the thirsty fields.
But problems continued. Alkali in the water was poisoning the soil. It looked very much as if the community would have to abandon everything, relocate and start over. It’s said the local Bishop called the church to prayer for divine guidance.
Then, on May 3, 1887, the earthquake came! The river disappeared underground, for the most part, which disrupted farming operations even more!
During several years thereafter, people around St. David sometimes declared they could hear water running underground.
There was speculation that it might be possible to drill a well directly into the right aquifer and capture an artesian flow of sufficient quantity for irrigation. As far as was known, no one had actually done it, but it seemed logical.
So, in early 1894, the McRae brothers noticed damp spot in one of their fields, and decided to try. They began hand-digging and, 18 feet down, uncovered an ancient stairway, leading to a clay pot with a hole in the bottom. A tiny stream of water issued from the opening. Encouraged, the brothers rigged a primitive boring apparatus and continued downward. Finally, at 276 feet, they struck artesian water. The well delivered 30 gallons per minute - enough to irrigate about twenty acres of McRae farmland. The well is still flowing today.
The new well generated all the excitement of a silver strike in mining country. Within a few years, about 200 similar wells had been drilled in the region, and approximately 200 acres of St. David farmland were served by artesian water.
During the late 1890s windmills became popular and proved invaluable for household use and stock watering, but these wells did not usually deliver the volume needed for irrigation.
Years later, the community concluded that the answer to their prayers had come in the form of a great earthquake that drove the San Pedro river underground and, somehow, opened the way for a new source of life-giving water.
More by Larry Scott...
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