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Water DitchesThis page updated: July 29, 2018. |
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Water DitchesThis page updated: July 29, 2018. |
When settlers began to colonize Sheridan and the surrounding areas, water was a major concern for crops, animals and domestic needs. Even though it is in the middle of the plains, the area is watered generously by the Bear Creek, Platte, several lakes, creeks and springs that dot what is now the southwestern end of the Denver metropolitan district. When John McBroom arrived in 1858, he was the only white man, and consequently the only farmer in the what would become Sheridan. He soon set about proving his homestead. This meant that he built a permanent home, made improvements to the property crops and lived there. In order to make successful plantings, he could not rely on the periodic moisture that the area receives. John circumvented nature's fickleness by using a revolutionary method he had discovered from the Mormons during his scouting forays in the army. He would tap the abundant water source that ran virtually at his feet-the Bear Creek. To this end he began a ditch just north and west of what is now Lowell Boulevard that ran south midway between modern day Quincy and Hampden, then emptied into the Platte River south of the confluence of the Bear Creek and the Platte River. His brother, Isaac, recently arrived from the east, helped him accomplish this feat.
After a difference of opinion, they decided that the correct
amount of "water necessary for the best results ... all the
water that four men could handle at one time on one field, rushing
it over and off quickly and they used that amount, probably 20
or 25 second feet, drawn through the above mentioned ditch."
(The History of the McBroom Ditch, J.W. McBroom). After the ditch
was dug and in use, by court order the ditch was patented, meaning
their claim for use was recognized by the government and their
rights regarding its use protected. This patent is #1 in Water
District No. 9, the Bear Creek Water District.
It was a wise and necessary move to have the ditch patented as
numerous water wars occurred when the area's population began
to grow with the advent of Fort Logan, Petersburg, Orchard Place
(now Englewood) and a host of other isolated settlers, farmers,
breweries, mills, and later, the railroad. Even with the patent
the McBrooms had difficulty getting the water they needed, especially
"with the increased demand for irrigation water in the Bear
Creek District, the flow of the stream was lessened especially
so in dry seasons, and in the year 1913, pursuant to an understanding
between the owners of the McBroom Ditch and the owner of the Shirley
Farm, in doing away through which, the ditch has a right of way,
a considerable portion of the ditch was tiled as a benefit to
all parties concerned ... When the flow of the stream was low
and water badly needed, it often took several days, after demand
by the owners of the McBroom Ditch, for the water [sic] Commissioner
to get water to the McBroom Ditch on account of the unwillingness
of ditch owner above to comply with the law and release the water
due the McBroom Ditch under its priorty [sic]." (The History
of the McBroom Ditch, J.W. McBroom).
Today, the McBroom Ditch still runs its original course, although
few of the people that own the property through which it runs
own the water rights, most of which are owned today by the city
of Englewood. [September 7, 2002: Some portions are now covered
over.]
The Bear Creek, listed in Ditch Decrees as Water District No. 9, proved to be a sought after commodity in the burgeoning south. The Simonton Ditch followed the McBroom Ditch in December 1860, being #2 in priority for water usage. It used 35.76 second feet, and was able to irrigate 759.5 acres of cropland in 1928. The Simonton Ditch took water out of the north side of The Bear Creek north of Dartmouth at about south Wadsworth and ran at a slightly southern angle and rejoined The Bear Creek at approximately one block west of Lowell where it intersects with Hampden Ave (from a 1931 report on water resources of the South Platte River Basin).
The Hodgson Ditch, #3 on the Bear Creek usage, came out on the south side of the creek at about south Kipling and Dartmouth and ran almost to Wadsworth, using 10.32 second feet, irrigating 180 acres. According to the Ditch Decrees for Water District No. 9, the Hodgson Ditch was enlarged on May 31, 1862 (from a 1931 report on water resources of the South Platte River Basin).
The Warrior Ditch, #4, and easily the longest of the Bear Creek ditches, came out of the south side of the Bear Creek, north and east of Soda Lakes, running an irregular path south and east with tributaries called Arnett and Lewis Branch dropping to the south to feed Harriman Lake, and petering out about modern day Mansfield east of Wadsworth. It was approved December 1, 1861, and carried 52.15 second feet of water, irrigating 1,766 acres. Tributaries of the Warrior Ditch included #14 which served Fairbanks, Horner & Rist which was decreed in October 1864 and Decree #16, The Barnes Branch, entered April 1, 1865 (from a 1931 report on water resources of the South Platte River Basin).
The Pioneer-Union Ditch, #5, decreed December 10, 1861, was enlarged on three separate occasions#11, decreed September 21, 1862, Decree #15, March 15, 1865, and again September 1, 1862, for two domiciles (household and livestock). The ditch came off the north side of the Bear Creek west of what is now Wadsworth, carrying 45.67 second feet of water as it flowed somewhat parallel to the Simonton Ditch and entering back into the Bear Creek at what is now Federal near Hampden, irrigating 998.5 acres (from a 1931 report on water resources of the South Platte River Basin).
The Olson & Bell Ditch, #6, decreed March 15, 1862, carried
6.30 second feet of water and irrigated 273.5 acres of cropland
after coming out of the Bear Creek just west of the confluence
of the creek and the Platte River. This water flowed along the
railroad track at Zuni and Old Hampden, filling a reservoir near
what is now Floyd and Zuni, irrigating the residential property
in the Bottoms of Sheridan which includes the area including the
old Firehouse at Umatilla and Hamilton (from a 1931 report on
water resources of the South Platte River Basin).
Many other ditches such as The Hindry, The Lawn, Spickerman, and
Lewis & Strouse served the booming population of Jefferson
and Arapahoe counties for domicile, livestock and cropland (from
a 1931 report on water resources of the South Platte River Basin).
Practically all of the ditches were enlarged to meet the expanding
needs of farms and families as they grew out from the early settlements.
The Platte River was also tapped to meet the needs of the Sheridan
area population. The major water was for the Petersburg Company
Ditch, also known as the Petersburg Lateral Ditch, which was enlarged
as the area's needs grew.
State and court records indicate the existence of perhaps two
Petersburg Ditches: The Petersburg Ditch and The Petersburg Lateral
Ditch. Water maps show only the Petersburg Ditch, which flowed
out of the east side of The Platte River south of Quincy and north
parallel to the river to Overland Park.
Peter Magnes, the founder of Petersburg, a Swedish enclave, came
to Colorado in 1859, staying the summer and returning to Illinois
in 1860, bringing fruit trees, berry bushes, grape vines, and
several kinds of seeds to the area. He became influential in Colorado,
introducing sugar beet farming, was nominated for county commissioner
in 1886 on both the Republican and Democratic ticket, and established
himself a good neighbor through donations of land and money. Water,
however, proved to be the death of him. He died of an apoplectic
fit at the age of 76 during a meeting of the Petersburg Lateral
Ditch Company.
Together with Joseph M. Brown and Samuel W. Brown, Magnes donated
land and organized the Petersburg Ditch Company on November 30,
1861. (The Roots of Prosperity: Littleton in the 1860s by Laurence
W. Steele) The ditch was leased to Henry Alshouse on or about
May 6, 1874. The ditch, which became a bone of contention for
many Sheridan residents, at one time led a peaceful existence
as the force behind a mill wheel for grinding the sugar beets
that Magnes introduced, but failed to catch on as a cash crop
in the Sheridan community.
During 1888 Bertha Magnes conveyed the rights of way, right, title
and interest in the Petersburg Ditch which ran across her land
to the Town of South Denver. She did, however, reserve the right
to irrigate all of her land from it.
According to a newspaper article in the Denver Republican, April
28, 1889, South Denver Water Works attempted to condemn the Old
Petersburg Ditch. The town filed suit in District Court, stating
that they had purchased 15 acres of ground in the Petersburg area,
lot 6, Block 1, upon which to locate its wells and storage of
water. "Upon this lot was formerly a flour mill, owned by
Clark and Failing, operated for many years by a water power furnished
for and through what is known as the Petersburg Ditch, which was
used for irrigating land as well as for supplying water for the
mill." It would be necessary to enlarge this ditch at its
head, and it will be necessary for the town of South Denver to
have a strip of land 50 feet wide, going 25 feet on each side
of the center line of the ditch throughout is entire length. The
Town wanted to condemn this land which they said would not violate
the rights of the then property owners, Anna Brown and Joseph
Brown. A just compensation could not be agreed upon. After a three
day trial the jury ruled for the Town of South Denver, but granted
Joseph Brown $2,000 damages, $662 for land taken away, and $150
for benefits. For Anna Brown, the award was $2,000 damages, $591
for land taken away, and $150 for benefits. The cost was a total
of $5,443 (a large settlement for that day) for four acres they
claimed was not worth $200 an acre.
An extract from the affidavit of W. P. Miller, a resident of University
Park since 1890, states that University Park was in the corporate
limits of the Town of South Denver, until it was annexed into
the City of Denver in 1894, and that he was a Trustee of University
Park. The water brought from the Petersburg Ditch was poor quality,
and not of enough quantity to be of value.
On January 9, 1923 Fenner F. Burton filed suit in Arapahoe District
Court, case No. 1603, claiming to own the land under the Petersburg
Ditch, that some of the water rights had been conveyed to the
Town of South Denver, and that said Town did maintain and operate
the ditch and supply water to the grantors (Browns, and Mrs. Mangus)
and did use the ditch to flow water for the use and benefit of
the Town of South Denver but after the Town of South Denver became
a part of the City and County of Denver, and it operated and maintained
the ditch until 1912 when it denied any liability, and thereafter
refused to care for the property. The City and County of Denver
conveyed to Arthur W. Welfenberg the land and asked that the water
rights be returned. The court then found that the rights were
to be divided among the 7 claimants. Englewood Water Department
is now the owner of these water rights.
The Brown Ditch took its water from the west side of the South
Platte River south of modern day Bowles and began in south Littleton,
where Dutch Creek joins the Platte, carrying 550 acre feet of
water. It rejoins the Platte around Petersburg. It is our understanding
that all the Brown Ditch rights were owned by one person in 1975.
What happened to those water rights is unknown. Much of the property
south of the town of Sheridan was owned by the Brown family, from
Lowell to Santa Fe Avenue and to the east. The Rough and Ready
Mill Race and the Last Chance Ditch were among many ditches that
flowed out of the South Platte. But the best known is the Highline
Canal, still serving its customers as both a source of water and
source of pleasure for those who hike, bike, and skate the path
while native wildlife enjoys a protected life.
The Agricultural Ditch started north of the Federal Center at
6th and Kipling and flowed south to Ward Lake and then southeasterly
through Loretto Heights and then east ending east of Zuni and
north of Dartmouth.
Domiciles, livestock, and crops were not all that benefited from
the waters of the South Platte. Anheuser Busch Brewing Company
and the Zang Brewing Company both used the water to brew their
products.
Water was not only the lifeblood of the prairie and cause for
lawsuits, it caused feuds between citizens and the United States
Government. Judge Rucker owned a tract of land south of Quincy
just past the Denver firehouse at about Raleigh, which contained
a lake called, naturally enough, Rucker Lake. Water for the lake
came from the Denver Water Company from Harriman Lake, which is
due west of Rucker Lake. The Denver Water Company also served
Fort Logan, which, although adjacent to Bear Creek, was unable
to pump sufficient amounts of water uphill to the camp, forced
instead to bring water directly in line to meet its needs.
Both Rucker and the officials of the fort felt that the other
was not closing the gate and allowing the other's water to come
through. There was a confrontation with arms at one point in the
dispute and ultimately the U.S. government bought Judge Rucker's
property and water rights. If the reader has an opportunity to
hear Earl McCoy, Fort Logan Historian, do a program on the Rucker
Water Wars, the researchers recommend it highly.
The Denver area is known for its gold and stories of strikes,
busts, and the miners that made history colorful but the history
of water in Sheridan, and its priceless liquid silver water is
at least as interesting as its softer, metallic cousin.
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