Steamboat Ditch facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Steamboat Ditch
Map of the Steamboat Ditch
Country	United States
State	Nevada
County	Washoe County, Nevada
Physical characteristics
Length	34 mi (55 km)

The Steamboat Ditch is a long water channel, about 34 miles (55 km) in length. It was built in the late 1870s by Chinese workers. This important canal starts near the border of Nevada and California. It then flows into Steamboat Creek in the southern part of Reno. The ditch helps bring water to farms and other areas.

Where is the Steamboat Ditch Located?

This special water channel and the road next to it are mostly flat. The ground slopes gently downhill from where it starts. Most of the ditch is an open dirt channel. Different kinds of plants grow along its sides. The dirt road next to the canal is often called a "trail."

How the Steamboat Ditch Was Built

In 1877, a company called the Truckee & Steamboat Irrigating Canal Company decided to build the Steamboat Ditch. This project became the longest and most complex water channel in the area. Its total length is about 33 to 34 miles (53 to 55 km). Some older reports even say it was up to 48 miles (77 km) long!

The company hired 115 Chinese workers to build the ditch. They worked under European-American supervisors. A Chinese company from San Francisco, California, called Quong Yee Wo & Company, won the contract to build it for $36,000. Another report says a different San Francisco company, Lung Chung & Company, got the job.

By the next year, between 150 and 200 Chinese workers were on the job. The cost of building the ditch went up to $40,000. The work was tough, especially during the cold winter of 1878-1879. They even had to use dynamite in some places because the ground was frozen solid. The Steamboat Canal officially opened on July 1, 1880. Some records say the final cost was over $50,000.

A few years later, in 1885, the company that owned the ditch had money problems. Because of this, the ditch and its water rights were sold at an auction in 1886. John C. Hampton bought it for $15,750.

Who Owns the Ditch Today?

The Steamboat Ditch and its access road are owned by many different groups. These include private landowners, neighborhood groups, public utility companies, and even state, city, county, and federal governments. The Steamboat Canal & Irrigation Co. has a special right to use the ditch to move water for farming during the growing season.

Fun Things to Do at the Ditch

Many parts of the road next to the ditch have always been open to the public. This means they have become a popular walking and biking trail. It's like a long, green park in the city! People often use it for running, walking, riding bikes, walking their dogs, and watching birds every day. However, some parts of the trail are on private land, and those owners do not allow public access.

Steamboat Ditch Trail and West Reno in background

Animals and Plants Along the Ditch

Hundreds of different kinds of plants and animals live along the Steamboat Ditch trail. The ditch provides a very important water source during the dry summer months. This is especially true because the area is part of the Great Basin Desert, which is a very dry place.

Birds You Might See

Owlet along Steamboat Ditch

Butterflies You Might See

Bees and Other Insects

Reptiles and Amphibians

Mammals You Might Spot

• Montane vole, Microtus montanus
• Coyote, Canis latrans
• Bobcat, Lynx rufus
• Black bear, Ursus americanus
• Mule deer, Odocoileus hemionus
• California ground squirrel, Otospermophilus beecheyi
• Grey squirrel, Sciurus griseus
• Least chipmunk, Tamias minimus
• American deer mouse, Peromyscus maniculatus
• Desert woodrat, Neotoma lepida
• Desert cottontail, Sylvilagus audubonii

Mule deer along Steamboat Ditch

Trees and Shrubs

• Fremont cottonwood, Populus fremontii
• Mountain alder, Alnus incana subsp. tenuifolia
• Coyote willow, Salix exigua
• Yellow willow, Salix lutea
• Wood's rose, Rosa woodsii
• California mugwort, Artemisia douglasiana
• Common mugwort, Artemisia ludoviciana
• Chokecherry, Prunus virginiana
• Jeffrey pine, Pinus jeffreyi
• Curl-leaf mountain mahogany, Cercocarpus ledifolius
• Antelope bitterbrush, Purshia tridentata
• Desert peach, Prunus andersonii
• Pinyon pine, Pinus monophylla
• Green ephedra, Ephedra viridis
• Wyoming sagebrush, Artemisia tridentata var. wyomingensis
• Rubber rabbitbrush, Ericameria nauseosa

Mature Fremont cottonwood along the Steamboat Ditch

Wildflowers and Grasses