River in the Sky

River in the Sky. The CPR bows out, the farmers bow in. Many settlers in the Eastern Irrigation Section had a hard time in the 1920s and 1930s. Low grain prices, deteriorating soils from alkali seepage into fields, and inexperience with irrigation farming techniques were some of the problems. Even though their revenues were falling settlers still had to make payments on their land contracts and for water usage. Irrigation water may have flowed like a river, but it wasn't free. The farmers' dissatisfaction increased as revenues continued to decline and more land once deemed irrigable was lost to production. Many farmers simply cut their losses and abandoned their farms., The CPR found itself arguing with settlers and dealing with their requests to have land revaluated and costs reduced. The farmers increasingly moved towards taking things into their own hands and demanding a better deal from the CPR. They moved towards producing different crops too. Livestock raising and finishing became one of the important activities. Crops produced in part through irrigation such as alfalfa and wheat could be used as winter feed., By the 1930s the CPR had had enough. The cost of maintaining the infrastructure throughout the Section, declining settlement rates, and rising settler debt load that would most likely remain uncollected, encouraged the Company to consider giving up the irrigation Section. The farmers had had enough too. An Act to Incorporate the Eastern Irrigation District came into force on 23 April 1935 following two years of hard work to enlist the support of farmers throughout the Section and conclude a deal with the CPR., The CPR's Eastern Irrigation Section became today's Eastern Irrigation District. It was farmer-owned, farmer-operated, and farmer-maintained., [Photo captions (left to right)] , . An early sign for the Eastern Irrigation District. By the conditions of the transfer agreement between the farmers and the CPR, the farmers owned all the parts of the irrigation system, all the unsold land within the district, and received $300,000 as a reserve fund to start their new enterprise. Glenbow Archives, NA-3250-33 , . Alkali, another name for soluble salts, seeps to the surface when evaporation pulls moisture from the land and brings water from deeply watered land to the surface. The alkali has dissolved in the water and comes with it. Farmers could not work alkali crusted land which reduced the number of arable acres on their farm. This photograph shows an attempt to remove alkali from the surface of a field in 1924. Glenbow Archives, NA-4389-23 , . Keeping the system working required constant attention. Workers trying to get earth bags in place to stop leakage at the head gates to the Bantry Canal (main); a shovel excavates the Spring Hill Canal to lower the grade in 1934 (right); and construction of new head gates for the Spring Hill Canal in January, 1935 (inset). Glenbow Archives, NA-4389-24, NA-4389-44, and NA-4389-45