He began to entertain the idea of a gristmill. As the foundation for the farming was laid out, Charles observed corn and vegetables successfully growing by the Swilling ditch, an increase in settlers and with an entrepreneurial mind. The delay gave opportunity to examine the surrounding land, where he envisioned a thriving agricultural community. On a business venture, Charles was on a freighting trip to Wickenburg when a severe storm and flooding of the Salt River forced him to wait several days. Hayden, father of Carl was an early Arizona settler who observed the many farmlands the canals serviced and was also compelled by the success of Swilling Irrigation and Canal Co. He said: ‘‘A city will rise phoenix-like, new and beautiful, from these ashes of the past,’’ and renamed the new community Phoenix.”Īround the 1880, Charles T. Englishman ‘‘Lord’’ Darrell Duppa”, recognized the symbolism of a new agricultural civilization rising from old Hohokam canals. The Swilling Irrigating Canal Company, as his company came to be called, revitalized the irrigation system and enticed more people to settle in the area. and Van Buren), to sell to miners in Wickenburg and infantry stationed at Ft. He redirected the delivery of water from the Salt River via the canals and ditches (modern day 32nd St. With sixteen other miners, he received a loan to create ditches, minimizing watershed, to successfully raise wheat, barley and corn. Upon discovering the Hohokam canals, Swilling analyzed their potential and restored them as a viable water delivery source. Needing a constant supply of water, the miners and soldiers observed the landscape. Ten years later, a central Arizona gold rush brought many miners near the Salt river. Jack Swilling, a Mexican War and Confederate States Army Veteran, headed west in the late 1850’s to work as an ox-train teamster. The Hohokam effort to build irrigation canals became the foundation of economic and urban development of Arizona. Especially during periods of environmental stress, all but vanished by 1450. The most viable reason was outgrowing their capacity to sustain life in the desert. There is no universally accepted evidence on why they disappeared, only speculation. The Hohokam canal stretched nearly 500 miles and would serve up to 50,000 natives at any given time. The headgates were made out of wood and giant rocks, withstanding the rivers immense strength. A weir, or partial dam, forced water into the head gate of the canal, creating maximum force, and more efficiently carrying water to the local farms. To maximize potential of water to exit river into canals, the Hohokam developed several techniques. If they allowed the water to stagnate, those three elements occur.

This increase in velocity, decreased sediment buildup, discharge into fields and evaporation. In areas of inadequate water(ebb) the channel would be narrowed, increasing velocity of water. In areas of excessive water(flow), the Hohokam would widen the channel. Creating a stabilized canal system they transported water through minimal changes in elevation and overcame natural ebbs and flows that rivers create. Their ability to push water effectively for several 100 miles over a flat desert landscape, while evading hills and valleys complimented their legacy.

Using digging sticks, the Native Americans excavated 12-feet deep canals, fanning into a larger network of smaller canals.īecause of their extensive excavation abilities, the Hohokam were considered to be engineering geniuses. As the population grew further from the river, the Hohokam began to construct canals for irrigation. Around 600 CE, the Hohokam population grew too large for sustainable living. Hohokam, (a Pima Indian word meaning ‘‘those who have disappeared’’), first appeared around 1 CE initially growing beans, squash, corn and cotton serving a very small population of less than one thousand. The Hohokam people lived in the Mesa area for nearly 1,500 years. With a population estimated to be as many as 80,000 individuals at its height, the culture flourished for more than 1000 years in the unforgiving Sonoran desert before disappearing in about 1450 CE. The Hohokan people dug a sophisticated network of canals in the Salt River Valley as a foundation for a flourishing civilization.

Where did the hohokam lived