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Xerox University Microfilms 300 North Zeeb Road Ann Arbor, Michigan 48106 75-6513 FINLEY, Robert Lewis, 1942- AN ECONOMIC HISTORY OF THE IMPERIAL VALLEY OF CALIFORNIA TO 1971. The University of Oklahoma, Ph.D., 1974 Economics, general Xerox University Microfilms, Ann Arbor, Michigan 4sio6 THIS DISSERTATION HAS BEEN MICROFILMED EXACTLY AS RECEIVED. THE UNIVERSITY OF OKLAHOMA GRADUATE COLLEGE AN ECONOMIC HISTORY OF THE IMPERIAL VALLEY OF CALIFORNIA TO 1971 A DISSERTATION SUBMITTED TO THE GRADUATE FACULTY in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY BY ROBERT L. FINLEY Norman, Oklahoma 1974 AN ECONOMIC HISTORY OF THE IMPERIAL VALLEY OF CALIFORNIA TO 1971 APPROVED BY DISSERTATION COMMITTEE ABSTRACT The economic development of the Imperial Valley of California is unique in the history of agricultural areas in the United States. Blessed with a virtual 365 day growing season, an abundance of water diverted from the Colorado River via the All-American Canal and a series of irrigation channels, and a reliable labor supply from Mexico, Imperial County annually ranks in the top five counties in the United States in terms of value in agri­ cultural production. There is an optimal size of an agricultural unit in the Imperial Valley depending on what the individual farm produces. The Federal Reclamation Act of 1902, how­ ever, placed a 160 acre land limitation on all farms re­ ceiving water from Federally sponsored reclamation pro­ jects throughout the United States. Since water was avail­ able in the Imperial Valley from the Alamo Canal before 1902, the Act of 1902 was never seriously enforced there, although throughout the years, several attempts were made to enforce it. A 160 acre farm in the Imperial Valley is far from being large enough to realize economies of scale, regardless of what is produced on the farm. A sizeable number of studies by prominent agricultural experts have demonstrated that economies of scale exist for most operating agricultural units of more than 1,500 acres. Depending on the quality of land, some crop and livestock operations do not become economically optimal until they reach approximately 2,500 acres. In 1933 the U. S. Department of Interior, when pressed for an opinion regarding the applicability of the 160 acre land limitation law to the Imperial Valley ruled that the Act of 1902 did not apply. In 1964 the Depart­ ment reversed itself and the controversy was not settled until 1971 when a United States Federal District Court decided that due to a long period of non-enforcement, the 160 acre limitation did not apply to the Imperial Valley. I l l ACKNOWLEDGMENT A number of people contributed to this disser­ tation. The continuous encouragement provided by Professor Thomas D. Curtis, Chairman of my committee, is very sincerely appreciated. I also wish to express thanks to Professors Arnold Parr, Jim Reese, Paul Brinker and John Hodgson who formed the rest of my committee. In addition I wish to thank agricultural economists Harold Carter, Gerald Dean, Warren Johnston, Herbert Snyder, and C. V. Moore. The research of these men and many of their colleagues significantly improved the study. Many local officials in the Imperial Valley spent large amounts of time assisting me in my personal research. These men include R. F. Carter, H. P. Crow, R. T. De Cristofaro, W. C. Dickey, F. W. Flanagan, Peter Rodens, William Simpson and Adolph Van Maren. For their combined efforts, I am grateful. Very special thanks go to my parents who were an inspiration to me throughout all of my years of formal education. IV TABLE OF CONTENTS Page LIST OF TABLES ................................. ix LIST OF CHARTS ..................................... xi LIST OF F I G U R E S ....................................... XÜ Chapter I. INTRODUCTION 1 II. A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE IMPERIAL VALLEY 10 Land Policies in Colonial America .... 13 Effect of Revolutionary War . ........... 14 Early Policy of Disposing of the Public Domain.................................. 15 The Land Acts, 1796-1862 ............... 17 Irrigating the Imperial Valley ........ 20 The Aftermath of the 1902 Reclamation Act 25 Early Legal Tests of the 160 Acre Land Controversy ............................ 27 Labor in the Imperial Valley ...... 28 Factors Contributing to Unity Among Mexicans and Mexican Americans .... 30 The Effects of a Changing Agricultural Technology ............................ 32 Problems With Mexico ................... 34 Problems With Excess Salt in the Imperial Valley ................................. 35 Electric Power in the Imperial Valley . 38 A Drive to Consolidation of Power Countries ................................ 43 III. A LEGAL HISTORY OF THE 160 ACRE LAND LIMITA­ TION POLICY AS IT APPLIES TO THE IMPERIAL VALLEY OF CALIFORNIA ................... 50 The Federal Reclamation Act of 1902 . 50 Attempts to Monopolize and Speculate in L a n d ................................. 52 V Chapter Page Section 4 of the Act of 1902 ............. 52 Section 5 of the Act of 1902 ............. 53 Early Administration of The Act of 1902 . 55 An Early Modification of The Act of 1902.. 56 The Fall-Davis Report of 1922 57 Other Notable Events in 1922 ............. 58 The Omnibus Adjustment Act of 1926 .... 60 Section 4 5 ....................... 60 Section 4 6 ....................... 61 Early Problems in Interpretation of Reclamation ....................... 63 The Emergence of Two Philosophies Con­ cerning Land Limitation on Federal Reclamation Projects ................... 64 The Boulder Canyon Project Act of 1928 . 64 The Wilbur L e t t e r .................. 68 The Malan C a s e ....................... 73 Findings of Fact and Conclusions of Law . 74 Finding No. 2 ....................... 74 Finding No. 3 1 ....................... 74 Finding No. 3 5 ....................... 74 Finding No. 3 8 ....................... 75 Conclusion XI of Malan A c t ............... 75 The State of Arizona, Complainant vs. Imperial Irrigation District et al, Defendants, United States of America, Intervenor, State of Nevada, Intervener, The Supreme Court of the United States . 76 Arizona's Position in the C a s e ........ 77 The Barry Opinion ..................... 79 The United States of America, Plaintiff, vs. the Imperial Irrigation District of California, Defendant, The State of California, Intervening Defendant . 82 IV. AN ANALYSIS OF SELECTED ECONOMIC INSTITUTIONS IN THE IMPERIAL VALLEY, CALIFORNIA ............ 87 Labor ................... 87 The International Commuter Phenomenon . 88 Population and Labor Force .............. 90 The Role of Mechanization................ 94 The Farm Family.......... 95 Attempts to Organize or Unionize Farm Workers in the Imperial Valley ........ 95 Employment Trends ....................... 113 Agriculture................................. 114 Non-Agriculture . 115 Employment Outlook ... 116 VI Chapter Page <? The Market Faced by the Imperial Valley F a r m e r .................................... 116 The Controversy Involving Electrical Rates .......................... 118 The Imperial Irrigation District's Response to Criticisms of Electrical Rate Irregu l a r i t i e s ..................... 121 Electric Power Rates— General ............ 121 Electric Power Rates— Agricultural .... 122 Absentee Landowners ...................... 124 Cost of Electricity if Hydro-Generations Were Not Available........................124 The Property Structure . ................. 125 Types of Land O w n e r s h i p ................... 127 Private Individual and Corporation Ownership........................ 129 Ownership and Quality of L a n d ............