Show I IN I NTH THE E BEGINNING BEG INN I N G By Alter J. J Cecil SCENES AT THE BIRTH OF MODERN IRRIGATION Irrigation like transportation has had several several sev sev- eral births but only one of or them in Utah That one however occurring toward noon on July 24 1847 in the heart of what now is Salt Lake City was actually the thet beginning of modern irrigation practice in this t country From that birth at which Mother Nature was attended by the Mormon pioneers as doctor and nurse irrigation has developed and matured into the present-day present practice of scientific farming said to be to ordinary agriculture what the steamship steamship steamship steam steam- ship is to the sailing vessel As a prerequisite to this birth of controlled farming we have for consideration the first plowing in the Salt Lake valley vaHey over which there has been a little controversy and a considerable considerable considerable con con- interest including the award of a gold medal The plowing began toward noon on July 23 1847 within two hours after the vanguard vanguard van van- guard of pioneers moved from the first valley camp on Emigration creek about two miles north to the big bend in City creek First Sod Turned For some reason not clear at At- this date dale George W W. Brown the original claimant forthe forthe for the honor of being bing the first plowman was re rejected rejected rejected re- re though Historian Whitney publishes a aletter aletter l letter received from him Orders were given to begin plowing 1 I had turned my oxen out with their yoke on A rush was made to begin all eager to get started first I succeeded succeeded suc sue in being the first one to hitch up John S. S Eldredge furnished the plow having it all ready I picked up m my whip and both drove and held the plow and turned the first sod sad in Utah territory This occurred about 11 o'clock a a. a m. m July 23 1847 He probably did not plow much land or would have been credited with first honors t He mentions turning the first sod which means a bed of grass or grass stubble while John Brown says I was the first man who mowed grass with a scythe to clear off a 1 piece of ground for a turnip patch Another company company com corn pany commenced mowing the grass ahead of the plows which was about four feet high and very thick on the ground and well mixed with rushes Sod plowing is tougher than plowing plowing plowing plow plow- ing some kinds of dry ground which may ac account account account ac- ac count for the breaking of some of the plows The soil soU was rich black and a little sandy Medal ledal for William Carter Several plows were immediately immediately- made ready and three of them were able to keep going through most of the day Shadrach Roundy is listed by Whitney as one of the plowmen But William Carter is authentic authentically credited with being the first plowman in the st state July 23 1847 I 1 put in my plow on the south side of the Thirteenth ward opposite Tufts Tuft's hotel on the west side of the block he says Tufts Tuft's hotel was at No East Third South street the plowing being done across the street on the southwestern corner of that block Levi Kendall and Bishop Taft put in their plow rind and broke the beam continued Carter This was close to camp and they could not plow Farther Farther Far Far- th ther r south I plowed about half an nn acre before any other teams came This took place about noon Some forty years later through a newspaper newspaper newspaper news news- paper pa paragraph we find the sequel in which Carter received the medal On Tuesday after after- noon July 17 1888 two members of the old folks committee through the courtesy of Acting Marshal Marsh l Arthur Pratt presented the gold medal awarded by that committee to William Carter for turning the first sod in in Utah Brother Carter has reached the ripe age of 70 years and is still hale and hearty and is serving out a term of imprisonment in the penitentiary penitentiary for maintaining the family responsibilities ties tics he assumed before the law of 1862 was passed As the first man to break soil in the great intermountain region he is now the reward leward of six months' months receiving imprisonment imprisonment imprisonment imprison imprison- ment for refusing to repudiate his wives It Itis Itis Itis is that the law against unlawful cohabitation was intended to reach leach such casc cases as s his it being over thirty ye years rs since he married mar mar- ried a wife First Dam and Canal The records of the first irrigation are even less definite than those of the first plowing There is an intimation that the first watering of the land was to soften the hard soils ahead of the plows but a careful study of the diaries written at the time and on the spot discloses this assumption to be e an error Laborers went with shovels to begin work on the dams on the lower or more southeasterly branch of City creek at the same time the plowmen began work toward noon July 23 1847 The up upstream upstream upstream up- up stream dam was placed about midway between Main fain and State Stale streets near or somewhat above First South street I IThe The first irrigating canal probably passed southward not far from State street toward the theland theland theland land that was being plowed first The dams and ditches required a considerable amount of work however and consequently the first ir irrigating irrigating ir- ir ri did not occur until as Orson Pratt tells us July 24 This forenoon commenced planting our potatoes after which we turned the water upon them and gave the ground quite a soaking That was the birth of modern irrigation But we can only conjecture its precise loca loca- tion Hon The turnips were probably put in the lower ground and the potatoes farther north The first irrigating may in fact have been on several patches simul simultaneously or at several several several sev sev- eral places in the one large patch ten by forty rods th that i is is mentioned Some of the irrigating irrigating irrigating ing may also have been to the west of the creek as has been claimed from traditional and other inform information ti n on the southeast corner of Main and First South streets Suffice it to say that the ground is properly hallowed to today today today to- to day by underlying the business district of Salt Lake City |