The Lower Gila Region, Arizona
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR HUBERT WORK, Secretary UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL SURVEY GEORGE OTIS SMITH, Director Water-Supply Paper 498 THE LOWER GILA REGION, ARIZONA A GEOGBAPHIC, GEOLOGIC, AND HTDBOLOGIC BECONNAISSANCE WITH A GUIDE TO DESEET WATEEING PIACES BY CLYDE P. ROSS WASHINGTON GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 1923 ADDITIONAL COPIES OF THIS PUBLICATION MAT BE PROCURED FROM THE SUPERINTENDENT OF DOCUMENTS GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE WASHINGTON, D. C. AT 50 CENTS PEE COPY PURCHASER AGREES NOT TO RESELL OR DISTRIBUTE THIS COPT FOR PROFIT. PUB. RES. 57, APPROVED MAT 11, 1822 CONTENTS. I Page. Preface, by O. E. Melnzer_____________ __ xr Introduction_ _ ___ __ _ 1 Location and extent of the region_____._________ _ J. Scope of the report- 1 Plan _________________________________ 1 General chapters _ __ ___ _ '. , 1 ' Route'descriptions and logs ___ __ _ 2 Chapter on watering places _ , 3 Maps_____________,_______,_______._____ 3 Acknowledgments ______________'- __________,______ 4 General features of the region___ _ ______ _ ., _ _ 4 Climate__,_______________________________ 4 History _____'_____________________________,_ 7 Industrial development___ ____ _ _ _ __ _ 12 Mining __________________________________ 12 Agriculture__-_______'.____________________ 13 Stock raising __ 15 Flora _____________________________________ 15 Fauna _________________________ ,_________ 16 Topography . _ ___ _, 17 Geology_____________ _ _ '. ___ 19 Bock formations. _ _ '. __ '_ ----,----- 20 Basal complex___________, _____ 1 L __. 20 Tertiary lavas ___________________ _____ 21 Tertiary sedimentary formations___T_____1___,r 23 Quaternary sedimentary formations _'__ _ r- 24 > Quaternary basalt ______________._________ 27 Structure _______________________ ______ 27 Geologic history _____ _____________ _ _____ 28 Early pre-Cambrian time______________________ . 98 Late pre-Cambrian time____________________ 28 Paleozoic and Mesozoic time_:_______________ 28 Tertiary time_____________________________ 30 Quaternary time__________________._______ 31 Ground water _________________________________ 33 Ground water in rock__________________________ 33 Ground water in valley fill______________________ 33 Types of surface water supplies, by Kirk Bryan______________ 35 Streams as watering places________________________ 35 Intermittent and interrupted streams________________ 35 Ephemeral 'streams ____________^_____________ 38 Centennial Wash _______________________________ 3& Lakes and ponds.______________________________ 41 Charcos ___________________________________ 42; in IV CONTENTS. Types of surface water supplies Continued. Page. Rock tanks__________________________________ 42 Definition________________________________ 42 Rock tanks away from stream channels__________ ___ 42 Rock tanks in stream channels 43 Physiographic relations of rdck tanks _ 45 Falls due to differing erosive resistance of rock ______ ____ 45 Falls due to changes in stream grade______ ___1____ 45 Falls due to renewed uplift_____________________ 46 Sand tanks______________,___________________ 47 Direct utilization of rain water____________________ 47 Rain water shed from roofs________________ _ 47 Water catches_____________________________ ____ 48 Sanitary considerations_____.______ _ 49 Reservoirs_____________________________-.____ 50 Purposes __________________'.______________________ 50 Reservoirs in the mountains and foothills________ 52 Reservoirs in the plains and valleys_______ _ ______ 53 Construction of reservoirs______________________ 55 Protection of the embankment 56 Diversion dams and protection of spillway channels 57. DSbriSr-filled reservoirs and artificial springs _ 59 Advantages ________ _ 59 Methods of construction____ ___ _ 59 Gila River______________________ _ _ 61 General features. 62 Tributaries__________________________________ 63 Gila River in early days - . 64 Gila River valley below Salt River_ _ 67 Buckeye Valley__________ ___ 67 Arlington Valley _ _ 69 Vicinity of Arlington Mesa_______ 70 Gillespie dam site_______ 70 Old course of Gila River_____ 71 Vicinity of Enterprise ranch 72 Gila Bend____________________________ 73 Point of Rocks________________ _ _ 74 Palomas to Yuma_______ 75 Fossils ____________ _ 75 Summary ___________ 76 Interpretation of well logs____ _ 76 Wells of Southern Pacific Co_ ' 77 Wells in Arlington Valley___ . 84 Wells in Buckeye Valley_______ 85 Southwest Cotton Co.'s wells 85 Wells in Mesa______________'-___~___ ___ 88 Physiographic history of Gila Eiver. 88 Tertiary events__________ 88 Quaternary events.-^ _ ,___________ 89. First period of erosion 89 First period of alluviation 89 Gila River Continued. Physiographic history of Gila River Continued. Page. Quaternary events Continued. Clay___________________________ _____ 90 Secoad period of erosion - >~ 92 Second period of alleviation. 92 Basalt________________________________ 93 Third period of erosion. ___ __ _______ 93 Deposition of the flood plain-_ _ __ ___T 93 Channel in the flood plain.-._________________ 94 Present deposition_______,_________ ___ 94 History of irrigation along Gila River west of Gila River Reservation, by O. R. Olberg_____________________________ 95 Previous irrigation ___________________________ 97 Present irrigation ___________ ______________ 101 Buckeye canal____________________________ 101 Cerbett canal_______________________ _ 102 Arlington canal___________________ 102 Joshlin ditch_____________________________ 103 James Bent canal___________________________ 103 Enterprise canal_:__________________________ 103 Gillespie dam ______________ ___ 104 Papago canal___________ ___ .:__ 105 Antelope Valley canal__________ _ 105 Amount of water available for irrigation________ '. 106 Irrigation with ground water in Colorado River Indian Reservation, by A. L. Harris____________-__________________'. 108 General features of the area_____________ _ 108 Field work__________________________________ 109 Water-bearing deposits and source of water. 111 Construction of test wells___'-_____ 112 Water for the mesa ground___i________________i___ 112 Summary of conclusions______ _ ^ 113 Results of tests___ j_____________:_____ 115 Well logs and notes _______ 115 Drive-point tests______________.__L..I________:_ 117 Travel in the .region ______,. __ __ 118 Types of roads_____________*_________________ 118 Road difficulties and suggestions for surmounting them 119 Boiites of travel_________________________________ 123 General outline_______________-_________-______ 123 : Plan of logs and descriptions______L,__,.___________ 125 Road logs________________________________ 126 Phoenix-Yuma route __I________j_____,_______ 126 Phoenix to Yuma by main road __ 126 Phoenix to Yuma by old road across Gila Bend Mountains 129 Yuma to Phoenix by main road^ __ 130 Yuma to Phoenix by old road across Gila Bend Mountains.. 132 Route between Phoenix and Parker by way of Buckeye and Salome or Wenden .,____,_*_ ______._____ 133 Phoenix to Salome by way of Buckeye and Palp Verde 133 Tolladays Well to Wenden___________________ 134 VI OQBFTKlSfTS. Routes of travel Continued. , Road logs Continued, Route between Phoenix and Parker by, way of Buckeye and Salome or Wenden Continued, . Page. Salome to Parker_______,_____,__, *.«,_«.______ 134 Wenden to Parker by way of Butler Well _ _ 335 Parker to Salome____________'._____________ 136 Parker to Wenden_____,__-___ _ ___ 137 Wenden to Tolladays Well .:_,__--__._ _______ 138 Salome to Phoenix by way of Palo Verde and Buckeye___ 138 Route between Phoenix and Wenden or Salome by way of Wick- enburg ; _____ ____ 139 Phoenix to Wickenburg_______________a-*_____ 139 Wickenburg to Wenden and.Salome_____.,*.,: ___:__ 140 Salome and Wenden to Wickenburg_____ _ _____ , 141 Wickenburg to Phoenix_____________-_______ 141 Bouse-Swansea route___________________________ 142 Vicksburg-Quartzsite route ___________->- _______ 142 Vicksburg to Quartzsite_______-______________ 142 Quartzsite to Vicksburg____________________ 143 Bouse-Quartzsite route________________.________ 143 Bouse to Quartzsite_________ _ ______ 143 Quartzsite to Bouse__________ ___ _ _____ 144 Quartzsite-Ehrenberg route_________________,._____ 144 Quartzsite to Ehrenberg_____________________ 144 Ehrenberg to Quartzsite . 145 Ehrenberg-Parker route _____________________..._ 145 Quartzsite-Dome route____________-_______.___ . 146 Quartzsite to Dome by main road- i 146 Quartzsite to Dome by old road across La Posa Plain__-_ 147 Dome to Quartzsite by main road- 148 Dome to Quartzsite by old road across La Posa Plain 150 Harquahala route_________ 150 Salome to Palomas by way of Harquahala. 150 Palomas to Salome by way of Harquahala _ ; 151 Routes to Alamo Spring_________^_ __ __ 151 Detailed descriptions______________ _ __ _-, 152 Phoenix to Yuma ___ . 152 Phoenix____;__________________________ 152 Salt River project _________ 152 Phoenix to Coldwater____________ ___ 153 Coldwater to Buckeye______ _ - 154 Buckeye to Gila Bend______________ ________ 155 Buckeye to the Gila Bend Mountains-- t : ~~ 155 New road across the Gila Bend Mountains ______ 156 Old road across the Gila iBend Mountains 157 Industries in the valley of Gila River along old road- __ 159 Agua Caliente to Palomas___- I , _ 160 Palomas to Norton_____ ______________..__ 160 Norton to Antelope Bridge_ '. 162 Antelope Bridge to Wellton___ 163 Welltori to Dome_______ _ ' : 163 Dome to Yuma __________ 163 Routes of travel Continued. Detailed descriptions Continued. - -' Paga. Phoenix to Parker_____________.___:_.__..__..____,«».«, 165 Hassayampa River