In the memory of Americans still living, the Gila River through the
Safford region, was a relatively narrow stream, over which in places a
stone could be tossed. There were occasional lagoons, some of them
created by beaver dams--picturesque, but breeding places for mosquitoes
and sources of malaria. Camp Goodwin was abandoned because of malarial
conditions in 1869-70, troops being transferred to the new post of Camp
Ord (Apache).
The river situation of later years has been very different indeed from
that known to the pioneers. The lagoons drained and the underbrush, grass
and trees cut away, the river floods have had full sweep and, as a
result, there has been tremendous loss in the washing away of the lower
lying land. The farms have been pushed back toward the mesas. Now under
consideration is a comprehensive irrigation system that will cost several
millions of dollars, with a great concrete diversion dam above
Solomonville and with two head canals that economically will serve both
sides of the river.
But in the early days the colonists did what they could, not what
economically was advisable. They did not have such trouble as was known
along the Little Colorado and their water supply was much larger and
somewhat more regular. They took out little canals at different points,
with headworks that were easily replaced when washed away.
For a few years around 1910, there appeared a prospect that the Gila
Valley farms would have to be abandoned unless something could be
done to stop the flow of tailings from the concentrating mills of the
Clifton-Morenci country, on the San Francisco River, a tributary of the
Gila. The finely pulverized rock was brought down in the irrigation water
and spread out upon the fields in a thick layer, almost impervious to the
growth of vegetation. Mit Simms, then a farmer near Safford, tells that
the dried tailings upon his farm spread out in a smooth sheet, that could
be broken like glass, with a blow from a hammer. The mining companies
refused to heed demand to impound their tailings flow, and so the matter
was taken into the courts. Decisions uniformly were with the settlers,
the matter finally being disposed of in their favor in the United States
Supreme Court. Then the companies, using the tailings material for the
making of dams, created great tailings reservoirs in the hills near their
plants, and filled up valley after valley with the rejected material.
Incidentally, they spent in this work enormous sums, believed to have
been sufficient to have bought all the farms of the Gila Valley, at the
price put upon them ten years ago. This expended money, however, may yet
be returned, for plans have been set afoot for leaching copper treasure
out of the tailings banks.
Artesian water was struck in the Gila Valley in 1887, according to John
A. Lee, understood to have been the first well borer in the artesian
district, within which are the present towns of Algodon (otherwise
Lebanon) and Artesia. The first water was struck at a depth of 330 feet
and better flows were secured with deeper borings down to 1000 feet.
The first few years of the Gila Valley settlement, every alternate
section was assumed to be the property of the Texas Pacific Railroad
Company, a land grant claimed by the Southern Pacific. This claim was
decided against by the United States authorities early in 1885, and the
lands thus were thrown open to entry by the settlers. Pima was on
railroad land and filing of its townsite formally was accomplished by
Mayor W.W. Crockett.