More Valuable Than Gold

More Valuable Than Gold. Riggins' Water Supply. The Riggins irrigation ditch was built in 1891 by early pioneers, Charlie Clay and brothers Isaac and Johnny Irwin, to supply water to their gold mining operation. By 1894, gold mining waned and the ditch was used for irrigation water. It wasn’t long before the water delivered to the arid flat proved to be a commodity more valuable than gold! , Riggins’ Water Source , The ditch became the community’s main source of water providing irrigation for garden produce and orchards as well as drinking water and fire protection. , In the early 1920s the ditch was extended south to include intake from the Little Salmon River. Later, cisterns were constructed for domestic water, but the original irrigation system is still in use today. , Help From The CCC. , The Salmon River Road had its early beginnings in the late 1890s, when R.E. Lockwood built a narrow lane along the steep hillside to his mining claim on Short’s Creek. Then, in 1934, the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) set up two camps: F-106 at the confluence of the Little Salmon and Salmon Rivers, and F-109, located twenty miles up the Salmon River at the mouth of French Creek. From these strategically located camps, the CCCs began to build the road from each end, finishing construction in 1938. Lockwood’s original road is still visible today, and the words “Camp F-106” can be discerned painted on the rock face at the mouth of the Little Salmon River. , A third CCC Camp, F-107, was built two miles south of Riggins at Windy Point, and crews from this camp constructed roads and bridges on Elk Creek, Race Creek and Cow Creek. They also helped build several forest fire lookouts, and fought wildfires in the nearby forests. The stone chimney of 107’s recreation hall is all that remains of this camp.