Idaho Falls in Bonneville County, Idaho — The American West (Mountains)
Upper Snake River Valley Irrigation
Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, June 20, 2013
1. Upper Snake River Valley Irrigation Marker
Inscription.
Upper Snake River Valley Irrigation. . The fertile soil and abundance of water in this valley lured pioneer settlers. With small slip scrapers, hand plows, picks and shovels, they cleared sagebrush, built log homes, made canals, ditches and dams to put water on the land. One of the first canals was built in 1879-1880. Rock and brush dams were built to divert water into headgates. Men lost their lives in this work. Later canals were enlarged and better dams built. The largest dam, known as the "Great Feeder", completed June 22, 1895, diverts water from South Fork into a network of canals. Through consolidation of canal systems, 700,000 acres of irrigated land with 100 canals, known as the Upper Portion of District No.36, are using 4,150,000 acre feet of water from the river and its tributaries each irrigation season. Here the dream of reclaimed desert has been brought to full fruition. This is the legacy left by those pioneers to present and future generations.
The fertile soil and abundance of water in this
valley lured pioneer settlers. With small slip
scrapers, hand plows, picks and shovels, they
cleared sagebrush, built log homes, made canals,
ditches and dams to put water on the land. One of the
first canals was built in 1879-1880. Rock and brush
dams were built to divert water into headgates. Men
lost their lives in this work. Later canals were
enlarged and better dams built. The largest dam,
known as the "Great Feeder", completed June 22, 1895,
diverts water from South Fork into a network of
canals. Through consolidation of canal systems,
700,000 acres of irrigated land with 100 canals,
known as the Upper Portion of District No.36, are
using 4,150,000 acre feet of water from the river
and its tributaries each irrigation season. Here the
dream of reclaimed desert has been brought to
full fruition. This is the legacy left by those
pioneers to present and future generations.
Erected 1956 by Bingham, Bonneville, Jefferson, Madison and Fremont Counties, Daughters of the Utah Pioneers. (Marker Number 228.)
Location. 43° 29.822′ N, 112° 2.485′ W. Marker is in Idaho Falls, Idaho, in Bonneville County. Marker is at the intersection of Memorial Drive and Riverside Drive, on the left when traveling north on Memorial Drive. The marker is located just west of the traffic roundabout, in the park overlooking the Snake River, along the Idaho Falls Greenbelt Trail. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Idaho Falls ID 83403, United States of America. Touch for directions.
More about this marker. The marker is a metal tablet mounted on a large granite
Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, June 20, 2013
2. Upper Snake River Valley Irrigation Marker (wide view of front side)
marker with extensive artwork.
Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, June 20, 2013
3. Upper Snake River Valley Irrigation Marker (wide view of back side)
Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, June 20, 2013
4. Upper Snake River Valley Irrigation Marker (farmer tableau)
Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, June 20, 2013
5. Upper Snake River Valley Irrigation Marker (farm & river tableau)
Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, June 20, 2013
6. Upper Snake River Valley Irrigation Marker (horse & plow tableau)
Credits. This page was last revised on January 24, 2024. It was originally submitted on November 7, 2017, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 347 times since then and 17 times this year. Last updated on January 24, 2024, by Carl Gordon Moore Jr. of North East, Maryland. Photos:1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. submitted on November 9, 2017, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. • J. Makali Bruton was the editor who published this page.