THE SAN DIMAS WATER WAR

The early pioneers of San Dimas first tried dry farming of barley, wheat, and hay, as they had been accustomed to in their former homes. However, they found that our rains were much too undependable for this activity. The Mud Springs, for which the little community was named, was a large swampy area, perhaps a mile across. In order to get this water to their ranches, they drilled seventeen wells around the Springs, and when these began to run dry, tunneled at an angle into the swamp to get at the water.

San Dimas Canyon Dam

By 1889 the San Jose Land Company had sold much more acreage than they could supply with water, at $1000 per inch — one inch of water being enough for ten acres of land. To hold the water coming down the San Dimas Wash, a 20-acre reservoir was made at Ramona and Allen. The soil was clay, so they believed that by packing the bottom, four million gallons of water could be stored. This was done, and the water was turned in to fill the reservoir. After several days, Mr. Michael, the land agent and zanjero, discovered that although water was still coming into the reservoir, the level was dropping. The water was turned off, and the reservoir rapidly emptied, leaving two very large holes, said to be as big as a house.

At about the same time, artesian wells began to flow in the wash northwest of San Dimas. This was the water that had drained out of the reservoir. In a few days, these wells, too, dried up. Mr. Michael contracted to repair the reservoir. He filled the holes, then using 4 teams of horses he packed the bottom - turned in a little water and packed the clay and did this several times. This was called “puddling.” The reservoir was again filled, and again it immediately drained out. The company had to give up the idea, sold the land and it was planted to citrus.

  The first successful domestic water reservoir was built of concrete near the intersection of Gladstone and San Dimas Avenue. (As a footnote, in the 1950’s, Del Holley, a local contractor, bought the unused reservoir and using it as a basement, built a home on the property.)

The first well drilled in the San Dimas Wash was in the 1890’s. J. W. Walker shipped the drilling rig from his former home in Kentucky. In the end there were 170 wells drilled in the area. Eighty five of these were abandoned as worthless. There were many arguments about the ownership of the water, numerous lawsuits, complex and hotly disputed, some ending in the Supreme Court. At least 14 water companies were formed in those early years. Since there wasn’t water enough for all the wells, those that were successful were surrounded by barbed wire and guarded day and night. By 1912, the suits were settled, and all the small companies merged into the San Dimas Water Company.

J. E. Calkins, in his “History of San Dimas” summed it all up by saying that “the San Dimas water war, which, in view of the fact that no blood flowed, only water, was a very good war, indeed.”