Blythe Intake facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Blythe Intake |
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Palo Verde Dam site of the Blythe Intake
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| Location | Palo Verde Dam |
| Built | 1887 |
| Designated | March 1, 1982 |
| Reference no. | 948 |
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The Blythe Intake is a special place where the very first irrigation canal started to bring water to the Palo Verde Valley. This happened way back in 1877. It's located just north of Blythe, California, in Riverside County, California.
This important site was recognized as a California Historical Landmark (number 948) on March 1, 1982. Today, the Blythe Intake is found at the Palo Verde Dam.
Contents
What is the Blythe Intake?
The Blythe Intake is the starting point of a system that brings water from the Colorado River to the Palo Verde Valley. This water is super important for farming and for people living in the valley. It helps turn dry desert land into green, fertile areas.
Why Was the Blythe Intake Built?
In the 1870s, a smart engineer named William Calloway (sometimes called Oliver Calloway) explored the land near the Colorado River. He saw that it had great potential if it could get water. He started claiming land and looking for ways to develop it.
Calloway got a wealthy man named Thomas Henry Blythe interested in his idea. Blythe, who was born in Wales, wanted to help build a new community in this area. On July 17, 1877, Blythe officially claimed the rights to use water from the Colorado River for what would become the "Blythe Intake."
Blythe hired George Irish to help Calloway build the irrigation system. Sadly, Calloway passed away in 1880. C.C. Miller took over his work. Thomas Blythe himself passed away in 1883, but his vision for the valley lived on.
The Palo Verde Valley
The Blythe Intake was built to bring water to the Palo Verde Valley. This valley is in the Lower Colorado River Valley, right next to the border between Southern California and Arizona. It's part of the Colorado Desert, which is a section of the larger Sonoran Desert.
Most of the Palo Verde Valley is in Riverside County, California. A smaller part of it is in Imperial County, California. To the east, across the Colorado River, is La Paz County in Arizona.
Geography of the Valley
The Palo Verde Valley is surrounded by mountains. The Big Maria Mountains are to the north. The Colorado River forms the eastern and southern edges of the valley. Other mountains nearby include the McCoy Mountains to the west, the Chocolate Mountains to the south, the Little Maria Mountains to the northwest, and the Dome Rock Mountains to the east.
Historical Marker
You can find a special marker for this California Historical Landmark on U.S. Route 95. It's at milepost 10.5, on the right side if you are driving north.
The marker tells the story:
- NO. 948 SITE OF - On July 17, 1877, Thomas Blythe, a San Francisco financier, filed the first legal claim for Colorado River water rights. Oliver Callaway planned a diversion dam and canal which opened in 1877 to irrigate the Palo Verde Valley. This made possible the settlement and development of the valley.
