Imperial Valley lies south of The Salton Sea running in a
narrow stretch between to Mexico. It’s
been called the land to the South, a bridge between Mexico and the US, a new
country with a great future. Such words
have filled developer’s brochures since the early 1900’s. I found a much different place.
The Imperial Land Company headed by George Chaffery sold
tracks of land to anxious settlers. He
sold them rights to water for $7,500 each, building a short canal to carry
water to the parched land. The source of
the water was the Colorado and in public domain. Chaffery retained control of the water once
it flowed into the canals. It was one of
the great developer schemes of all times.
Chaffery went on to develop water systems in suburban Los Angeles.
Agriculture remains a rich legacy for the valley but the
Imperial Land Company and other developer schemes such as Salton Sea never
lived up to expectations. Today,
unemployment is 22.7% and per capital income is only $20,703.
The rise and fall of hopes in the valley have left a rich
photographic landscape in towns like El Centro and Brawley. There I found hard working people trying to
scratch out a living. Many of the
restaurants in the area open at 4am accommodating workers on the beginning of
long days. There is much to learn here
about life as it really is, about hope and willingness to push on.
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