12/10/2010 SHRA in The Advocate
December 10, 2010SHRA client Moffatt Thomas recently used the information in a report prepared by our firm for an article in the Idaho Bar Association’s newsletter. Attorney Scott Campbell cited the SHRA report in his article, “Irrigation Water Drainage Development in the Treasure Valley.” History of Irrigation and Drainage in the Treasure Valley
The report, entitled, A History of The Pioneer Irrigation District, 1884-1938, An Initial Report, was written for the purposes of litigation between Pioneer and the City of Caldwell. We conducted research in the National Archives in Denver to obtain much of the information on which this report was based. The Denver (Rocky Mountain) branch of the National Archives holds the records of the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation. We also did research locally at both the Idaho State Archives and various irrigation districts in the valley.
The history of Pioneer Irrigation District represents the history of irrigation and settlement in the West during the 19th and early 20th centuries. The pioneers who settled the lands were brave souls who had visions of bounty where only sagebrush and rattlesnakes existed. The story of Pioneer Irrigation District tells us of the entrepreneurs that created many of the towns in the western valley and who were almost single-handedly responsible for encouraging the migration. It tells us of the coming of the railroad, and how critical the siting of the railroad was to the development of the West. It tells us of the manipulation of resources to support human life, and the ingenuity of those who came.
Pioneer Irrigation District and Moffatt Thomas continue to be clients of SHRA.