Eligibility Evaluation of the Joseph City Irrigation System, Navajo County, Arizona for the Bureau of Reclamation, Phoenix Area Office: Report

Summary

The rural community of Joseph City, Arizona, is located off Interstate 40 west of Holbrook, on the Little Colorado River in Navajo County, Arizona. The Joseph City Irrigation Company received a grant from the Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) to install new pipe in approximately 2,500 feet of the existing 10-mile-long irrigation ditch. Prior to installing the pipe, Reclamation must determine if the historic irrigation system is eligible for nomination to the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP). At Reclamation’s request, Archaeological Consulting Services Ltd. (ACS) conducted archival research in support of this effort.

ACS conducted archival research on December 1–3, 2004 at the Arizona Historical Society (AHS) archives and the Special Collections at Northern Arizona University (NAU), and at the Museum of Northern Arizona library. ACS also conducted a field visit on December 2, 2004, to view and photograph the dam and some of the associated irrigation system components at Joseph City. Likewise, ACS conducted interviews with Joseph City Irrigation Company board members to gather additional information about the irrigation system.

ACS concluded that the Joseph City Irrigation System is potentially eligible for inclusion in the NRHP under Criterion A, for its association with the expansion of Mormon settlement into Arizona from Utah, and the development of farming and ranching in northern Arizona; Criterion C, as a significant and distinguishable entity whose individual components may lack individual distinction (e.g., a district); and Criterion D, for its potential to yield significant information regarding the development of an historic irrigation system that was integral to the development of early farming and ranching across northern Arizona.

This is the report of the site evaluation and archive search.

The photos can be found at tDAR ID: 394271.

The photo log can be found at tDAR ID: 394270.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Joseph City, Navajo County, Arizona

Keywords

Spatial Coverage

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): USDI Bureau of Reclamation, Phoenix Area Office

Sponsor(s): USDI Bureau of Reclamation, Phoenix Area Office

Prepared By(s): Archaeological Consulting Services, Ltd.

Submitted To(s): USDI Bureau of Reclamation, Phoenix Area Office

Record Identifiers

Bureau of Reclamation Delivery Order No.(s): 05J2320110

ACS Project No.(s): 04-303

Bureau of Reclamation Contract No.(s): 1425-01-CS-32-0110

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