Life's Sustaining Waters

Life's sustaining waters were once again pouring into the veins and arteries of the Payette countryside. Another irrigation season began. This process has been going on for years and has been the means of claiming productive orchards and farms from the arid land of sand and sagebrush.

This spring cleaning and repairing of the ditches is in preparation for the return of the precious water that has played a top role in building the economy of the entire valley.

A few names stand out as ones who pioneered the land from desert waste to productive farms. The Lower Payette Ditch Company is the "Granddaddy" of water users in the region.

In 1881 a farmer by the name of Hull was in possession of a large tract of land north of the present city of Payette, but there was no water available. Hull joined with S. L. Sparks and proceeded in locating about 10,000 inches of water that could be taken out of the Payette River which would be sufficient for all of the land between their places and the Weiser River.

On April 21, 1882, and application for a corporation was filed with Sparks, Hull, David and Norval Gorrie as directors of the company. Attorney Jim Harris of Weiser was asked to draw up the articles of incorporation. John Cobbs, Boise, was president.

Immediate plans called for the ditch to run down the middle of their valley, which would not have irrigated many acres because most of the land was higher than the proposed ditch. Plans were put on hold.

Later that year, David Gorrie, acting president, called a special stockholder's meeting. The original survey called for construction of a ditch six feet wide on the bottom with a grade of 1/12 inch to the rod. This survey would take the water through Payette a few rods east of the old Whitney House on Seventh Avenue North.

The meeting was addressed by a newly arrived easterner, William Masters, who had considerable experience with irrigation in the Black Hills of Dakota. He argued at great lengths to raise the grade to 1/16 fall to the rod to double the capacity of the ditch within a 12 foot bottom. He told them that their plans for a six-foot ditch would be too small for future water demands. Master's recommendations were approved with John Cobb as construction boss.

The capital stock of the corporation issued was valued at $8,000. Eighty shares if were sold at the par value of $100 per share. April 1884, saw the capital stock value raise to $16,000 with 160 shares at $100 per share. On June 14, 1886, the stock rose to $32,000 and 320 shares. The capital stock remained at $32,000 with 400 persons owning 6,400 shares, valued at $5 per share (1953).

Approximately 12,800 acres utilized the water and Payette city people own about 1/6 of the total stock (1953). The ditch carries between 11,000 and 14,000 inches of water. Old works progress reports show that it took three years to complete the ditch some ten miles. Peter Pence was primarily responsible for building the Extension ditch to the big ditch. He and Tom Pence were particularly interested in water programs because in 1883 they possessed most of the flat lands east of the railroad tracks and extending to the Weiser River.

The farmers, who paid 25 cents an acre for maintenance, constructed the first 16 miles of the ditch. The first 16 miles reached the Chapter House in 1884. The Extension Ditch was begun in 1890 when the Payette Land and Colonization Group was organized by a number of eastern people who selected C. E. Brainard to be in charge of the land and D. W. Ross as engineer.

After building a large dam in the Payette River, it was found that the river had changed courses. Where it primarily ran under the bluff on the north side, it had changed to the south side of Birding Island. Hunt established a ferry there. In 1900 and dam was moved further up the river. This required more money and the ditch was 40 miles long.

The Extension Ditch is separate, with the Pence Brothers and farmers below the Chapter House (first 16 miles) as promoters, with Lower Payette Ditch Company putting up most of the money. They own shares in the Extension Ditch, but they as a company, had to own shares in the Lower Payette Ditch before water could be turned into the Extension Ditch and they have to pay assessments on both shares.

There are several small ditches that take water out of the Payette River. The Nesbitt and McFarland ditch irrigates hundreds of acres as well as another ditch. The Lower Payette Ditch was built through these ditches just below the dam, so flumes had to be built over the Payette ditch.

There are five large canals that draw on the Payette River's water flow to irrigate over 100,000 acres of land. They are the best, safest and surest of any irrigation project in Idaho with water rights being issued in 1890-91.