HAER No. AZ-50, San Carlos Irrigation Project, North and South of Gila River, Vicinity of Coolidge, Pinal County, Arizona: Photographs, Written Historical and Descriptive Data

Author(s): Christine Pfaff

Year: 1996

Summary

The San Carlos Irrigation Project (SCIP) is significant for creating an integrated irrigation system to serve both Indian and non-Indian lands along the Gila River. Prior to project construction, irrigation of area lands was piecemeal and non-Indian agricultural development above the Gila River Indian Reservation had depleted water supplies for the Indians. Initial authorization of the project in 1916 and the passage of the San Carlos Act on June 7, 1924 culminated years of studies and efforts to develop water storage on the Gila River and restore water to the Pima Indians.

The project also incorporates a number of individual features that have engineering significance. These include Coolidge Dam for which HAER documentation has previously been completed (HAER No. AZ-7), Sacaton Dam, and China Wash Flume. Ashurst-Hayden Dam is significant as the primary diversion facility for the entire system. Lastly, the features found on SCIP are significant for demonstrating the evolution of the irrigation project as a dynamic system. The types and methods of construction found span many decades and document changes in design and technology.

This report includes the photographs and written historical and descriptive data for the San Carlos Irrigation Project in Pinal County, Arizona.

Cite this Record

HAER No. AZ-50, San Carlos Irrigation Project, North and South of Gila River, Vicinity of Coolidge, Pinal County, Arizona: Photographs, Written Historical and Descriptive Data, 50. Christine Pfaff. 1996 ( tDAR id: 437901) ; doi:10.6067/XCV8437901

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

Keywords

Culture
Historic

Site Type
Agricultural or Herding • Canal or Canal Feature • Resource Extraction / Production / Transportation Structure or Features

Investigation Types
Archaeological Overview • Architectural Documentation • Historic Background Research

General
Historic American Engineering Record • Photographs • San Carlos Irrigation Project

Geographic Keywords
Arizona (State / Territory) • Casa Grande, AZ • Coolidge, AZ • Florence, AZ • Gila River • Gila River Indian Reservation • Pinal (County) • Sacaton, AZ • San Carlos Irrigation and Drainage District

Temporal Keywords
20th Century • Early 20th Century • Historic • Mid 20th Century

Spatial Coverage

min long: -111.959; min lat: 32.659 ; max long: -111.173; max lat: 33.109 ;

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Salt River Project Cultural Resource Manager

Landowner(s): US Bureau of Indian Affairs

Submitted To(s): National Park Service, Western Region

Record Identifiers

HAER No.(s): AZ-50

File Information

  Name Size Creation Date Date Uploaded Access
1996_Pfaff_SanCarlosPhotographs_OCR.pdf 111.62mb Mar 1, 1996 Nov 28, 2017 1:36:33 PM Confidential
This file is unredacted.

Accessing Restricted Files

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Contact(s): Salt River Project Cultural Resource Manager