Power and control in the Imperial Valley : nature, agribusiness, and workers on the California borderland, 1900-1940 / Benny J. Andres Jr. ; with a foreword by Sterling Evans
Edition
First edition
Published
College Station, Texas : Texas A & M University Press, 2015
Introduction -- "Subjugating" the Colorado River -- Colonizing the desert -- Racial agribusiness -- Racial labor -- The gospel of labor rebellion -- Conclusion -- Afterword
Summary
"Power and Control in the Imperial Valley examines the evolution of irrigated farming in the Imperial-Mexicali Valley, an arid desert straddling the California-Baja California border. Bisected by the international boundary line, the valley drew American investors determined to harness the nearby Colorado River to irrigate a million acres on both sides of the border. The 'conquest' of the environment was a central theme in the history of the valley. Colonization in the valley began with the construction of a sixty-mile aqueduct from the Colorado River in California through Mexico. Initially, Mexico held authority over water delivery until settlers persuaded Congress to construct the All-American Canal. Control over land and water formed the basis of commercial agriculture and in turn enabled growers to use the state to procure inexpensive, plentiful immigrant workers"--Provided by publisher
