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From YouTube: Englewood Moments in History: City Ditch
Description
It was called an "engineering marvel" and without it, Englewood would not be the great city it is today. This Englewood Moments in History video features the city ditch and the fascinating story of its creation.
A
The
city
ditch
following
the
gold
rush
in
Inglewood
in
1858,
the
great
western
expansion
began
in
earnest,
as
a
hundred
thousand
people
began
migrating
to
the
Front
Range.
The
area
was
part
of
the
great
American
desert,
a
vast
and
arid
land,
once
called
uninhabitable
by
a
people
depending
upon
agriculture
for
their
subsistence
as
settlements
and
farms
began
to
dot
the
landscape.
One
resource
was
desperately
needed
on
the
flat
lands
above
the
South
Platte
River
water
in
1859.
A
The
Kansas
territorial
legislature
allowed
the
capital
hydraulic
company
to
build
a
ditch
that
would
move
water
from
the
South
Platte
River
into
Denver,
with
only
the
use
of
gravity.
It's
first
attempt
failed
in
part
because
the
slope
wasn't
steep
enough
to
effectively
move
water
capital.
Hydraulic
engineer,
John
Clark
was
fired
when
it
became
clear.
He
incorrectly
surveyed
the
elevations
in
1861
Denver
businessman,
John
Smith
revived
the
project
and
hired
surveyor
Richard
little
founder
of
Littleton
Colorado
to
complete
the
project.
A
A
The
27
mile,
ditch
dug
completely
by
hand,
took
five
years
to
complete
it
snaked
its
way
through
Englewood
and
eventually
ended
in
Denver
many
called
it.
An
engineering
marvel
that
was
responsible
for
irrigating
thousands
of
acres
of
desert,
allowing
for
farms
and
settlements
to
thrive
right
here
and
what
we
now
call
the
city
of
Englewood
Colorado.