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34-546: The Imperial Canal was completed within two years. It received water from the Colorado River, which, by the time it had flowed to the Imperial Valley, contained massive amounts of silt . The Imperial Canal filled with silt at an alarming pace. While attempts were made to create a diversion around the silt blockages, winter flooding in 1905 tumbled the diversion canal. The whole of the Colorado River poured into

68-538: A Great Basin Shrubland ( 7 ) vegetation form. Research indicates that there is significant reduction in the diversity and abundance of species in dune areas subject to heavy ORV traffic. A two-year survey of dune insects revealed over 1100 species were present, at least 60 of which were new to science. As they are the largest dune ecosystem in the United States , there are many species which are endemic to

102-726: A direct result of the decision to create canal intakes from the Colorado River without headgates the Salton Sea was formed. Ongoing provision of water to the Imperial Valley from the Alamo Canal ensured that the Salton Sea would remain intact through the lifetime of the canal. The initial flooding of the Salton Sink destroyed the New Liverpool Salt Company works. On January 10, 1908, the owners of

136-574: A lawsuit in 2000 closed over 49,000 acres (20,000 ha) to vehicular access, leaving about 40% of the recreation area open to vehicles. In 2014, a significant portion (approximately 40,000 acres) of this area was re-opened for vehicular use. It is the largest sand dunes open to off-highway vehicle use in the United States. The site's large sand dunes are a preferred terrain for many off-road vehicle owners. Motorcycles , sandrails , ATVs , and 4-wheel-drive vehicles are commonly driven across

170-682: A lengthy legal decision issued by the Supreme Court of California on October 9, 1915, entitled Title Insurance and Trust Company v. California Development Company, Southern Pacific Company, New Liverpool Salt Company, Boaz Duncan, W. H. Holabird , 171 Cal. 173, 173-222, 152 P. 542, 542-563 (1915). There are no less than eight judicial decisions involving this case that were published by the California Supreme Court between March 13, 1911, and February 13, 1919. Alamo Canal The Alamo Canal ( Spanish : Canal del Álamo )

204-563: Is approximately 45 miles (72 km) long by 6 miles (9.7 km) wide and extends along a northwest-southeast line that correlates to the prevailing northerly and westerly wind directions. The name "Algodones Dunes" refers to the entire geographic feature, while the administrative designation for that portion managed by the Bureau of Land Management is the Imperial Sand Dunes Recreation Area (sometimes called

238-623: Is planned to address this. The dunes were used to film parts of Road to Morocco , The Flight of the Phoenix , The Garden of Allah (1936 film) , Tobruk , Stargate , Resident Evil: Extinction , Jumanji: The Next Level and the Tatooine scenes in Return of the Jedi . John Ford made the 1934 version of The Lost Patrol (1934 film) here. Outside of movies, the dunes also appear in

272-545: The Chocolate Mountains in Imperial County , and are crossed by Interstate 8 and State Route 78 , which passes through the old train stop of Glamis at the eastern edge of the dune field. The northwestern end is located at 33°8′53″N 115°19′29″W  /  33.14806°N 115.32472°W  / 33.14806; -115.32472 about 11 miles (18 km) east of Calipatria, California , and

306-643: The Glamis Dunes ). In 1966, Imperial Sand Hills was designated as a National Natural Landmark by the National Park Service. The Algodones Dunes are split into many different sections. These sections include Glamis , Gordon's Well, Buttercup, Midway, and Patton's Valley. Although the Arabic-derived Spanish word algodones translates to "cotton plants", the origin of the toponym is unknown. The dunes are located west of

340-693: The Gran Desierto de Altar in Mexico, but this is difficult to ascertain without biological surveys of the latter area. Among insects, there are dozens of species found only in Algodones or its neighboring areas, including: In August 2006, federal wildlife officials decided not to list these species under the Endangered Species Act, due primarily to insufficient documentation of their distribution and phenology ; biological survey work

374-649: The Gulf of California , however in times of the spring floods the Colorado River would overflow its banks and also drain into the Alamo River. Flow from the Alamo River then drained to the Salton Sink area of the Colorado Desert . Such overflow had been observed in 1884, 1891, 1892, and 1895. In the mid- to late-Nineteenth Century several individuals, most notably O. M. Wozencraft , proposed irrigating

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408-458: The Algodones system, so the region overall is biologically unique on a global scale. The Algodones were once part of an even greater dune system that now resides primarily in the Mexican state of Sonora , with a few extensions also in southwestern Arizona , especially in the vicinity of Yuma . Accordingly, it is likely that many of the species presently known only from the Algodones also occur in

442-516: The California Development Company in favor of the New Liverpool Salt Company on January 10, 1908, in the amount of $ 458,246.23 (equivalent to $ 15.5 million today) with interest to accrue from that date, to compensate the salt company for the value of its destroyed property, basing its claim upon the alleged negligent action of the California Development Company in cutting the bank of the Colorado River and thus permitting

476-631: The Imperial Valley and Mexicali Valley dried it up before reaching there; other times it turned westward toward the Salton Sink . Each time the Salton Sink received the river flow, a large freshwater lake called Lake Cahuilla formed. The last Lake Cahuilla covered much of the Imperial , Coachella and Mexicali Valleys as late as 1450. The most popular theory holds that the Algodones Dunes were formed from windblown beach sands of Lake Cahuilla. The prevailing westerly and northwesterly winds carried

510-577: The Salton Sink by diverting a controlled gravity-fed flow of the Colorado River through the existing dry Alamo River bed. The Alamo Canal was the first attempt to create that diversion. It was engineered by George Chaffey of the California Development Company starting in 1900. The canal intake and temporary wooden headgates (known as the Chaffey Gate) were initially located in the United States at Pilot Knob due to

544-470: The Salton Sink, forming the Salton Sea . The area was a scene of flood for two years until the canal breach was mended. As the waters dried up the Salton Sea was reduced in size, but it is still the largest lake in California. The California Development Company was financially strained by this point, and in fact relied upon a financial loan and physical assistance from Southern Pacific Railroad to mend

578-633: The area are the All-American Canal that cuts across the southern portion from east to west and the Coachella Canal on the western edge. Because the Colorado River flowed through very flat terrain, the course of the river varied over a wide area, being periodically diverted in one direction or another by silt deposits remaining after floods. Sometimes the river flowed into the Gulf of California , as it did until irrigation in

612-491: The availability of a solid rock foundation. The canal then crossed the border with Mexico and ran parallel to the Colorado River for approximately 4 miles (6 km), where a channel was cut several miles west to the head of the Alamo River. This path was selected to avoid the expensive engineering that would otherwise be required if the canal were to traverse the Algodones Dunes . A small amount of irrigation water

646-650: The bankruptcy of California Development, with all assets passed to Southern Pacific. In 1911 Imperial Valley farmers formed the Imperial Irrigation District . By 1916 the Imperial Irrigation District had purchased all the ex-California Development assets from Southern Pacific and assumed operation of the canal. Construction of the All-American Canal was completed in 1940. By 1942 the All-American Canal

680-616: The broken canal. Ultimately, this "financial assistance" resulted in the Southern Pacific Company obtaining a legal judgment against the California Development Company entered in the Superior Court of California in and for the County of Los Angeles on December 30, 1909, in the amount of $ 1,279,865.77, an enormous sum at the time equivalent to $ 43.4 million today. A legal judgment had already been entered against

714-520: The diversion and establish a controlled flow via headgates. On February 11, 1907, the breach was finally closed after substantial intervention by the Southern Pacific Transportation Company . The rate of water loss through aquifer replenishment and evaporation in the Salton Sink was much less than the massive inflow of the Colorado River via the third diversion of the Alamo Canal (the "Lower Mexican Intake"). As

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748-455: The dunes . Open camping is permitted, and on major winter holidays, as many as 150,000 people can visit in a single weekend. These recreationalists bring an economic boom during the cooler months to the nearby towns of Brawley, California , Yuma, Arizona and El Centro, California . According to the A. W. Kuchler U.S. Potential natural vegetation Types, the Algodones Dunes would have a Desert (vegetation absent) ( 46 ) vegetation type and

782-508: The dunes to prove that cars could cross the dunes and to connect San Diego with Yuma, Arizona . This trail eventually became part of Interstate 8 . During World War II , the U.S. military conducted desert warfare training on the dunes, which were part of the California-Arizona Maneuver Area . People have been driving on the dunes for recreation almost since vehicles first reached the area, which may have been

816-525: The dunes. Most of the dunes located north of State Route 78 are off-limits to vehicular traffic due to designation as the North Algodones Dunes Wilderness . The federal government protected these 25,818 acres (10,448 ha) in the early 1980s and closed them to vehicles as part of the 1994 California Desert Protection Act (Public Law 103-433). Much of the area south of this road remains open for off-highway vehicle use, though

850-475: The engineering of a breach in the bank of the Colorado River approximately 4 miles (6.4 km) south of the existing wooden headgates (the Chaffey Gate). The breach, known as the Lower Mexican Intake, and constructed without headgates and without the permission of the Mexican authorities, allowed the Colorado River to flow unimpeded into the canal, and then to Imperial Valley farms. During

884-400: The flow of water into the former Salton Sink destroying its lands. The costs of the broken structure, as well as from lawsuits over the disaster, made the California Development Company a lost cause. The project of irrigating the valley was assumed by the new Imperial Irrigation District in 1911. An expansive recounting of the rise and fall of the California Development Company appears in

918-563: The proving ground for the first dune buggy , a modified Ford Model A . Off-road driving surged following World War II when surplus Jeeps became available to the public. Environmental protection groups (notably the Center for Biological Diversity ) and off-highway vehicle advocacy groups (notably the American Sand Association ) have filed numerous petitions and lawsuits to either restrict or re-open vehicular access to

952-500: The sand eastward from the old lake shore to their present location which continues to migrate southeast by approximately one foot per year. The dunes have frequently been a barrier to human movement in the area. Foot travelers frequently diverted south into Mexico, and in 1877 the Southern Pacific Railroad was diverted north to avoid the dunes, but in 1915 Colonel Ed Fletcher built a wooden plank road across

986-530: The southeastern end is located at 32°41′4″N 114°46′7″W  /  32.68444°N 114.76861°W  / 32.68444; -114.76861 near Los Algodones in Mexico , about 6 miles (9.7 km) west of Yuma, Arizona . The dunes are also now separated at the southern end by agricultural land from the much more extensive Gran Desierto de Altar , to which they once were linked as an extreme peripheral "finger". The only significant human-made structures in

1020-425: The subsequent seasonal floods of 1904 through to late 1906, a large amount of the water carried in the Colorado River flowed directly into the Salton Sink. At various times during this period the entirety of the Colorado River was diverted into the canal. Rockwood's action in ordering the breach was later described as a "blunder so serious as to be practically criminal." Multiple failed attempts were made to close

1054-406: The works were awarded a judgement against the California Development Company of $ 458,246.23. Southern Pacific, which incurred considerable costs repairing the breaches, held a judgment against California Development of $ 3,772,128.52. By June, 1915 a total of $ 5,049,554.78 was owed to creditors, with most of those costs and judgments directly related to the failure of the canal. This debt triggered

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1088-597: Was a 14 mi (23 km) long waterway that connected the Colorado River to the head of the Alamo River . The canal was constructed to provide irrigation to the Imperial Valley . A small portion of the canal was located in the United States but the majority of the canal was located in Mexico . The Alamo Canal is also known as the Imperial Canal . Historically, the Colorado River flowed to

1122-480: Was first delivered to the Imperial Valley in 1901, with larger flows becoming available in 1902. In 1906 work was completed on the permanent concrete headgates at Hanlon Heading. In 1904 heavy silting greatly reduced the water-carrying capacity of the canal. Imperial Valley farmers, under considerable financial stress, pressured the California Development Company to resolve the problem. Charles Rockwood , faced with bankruptcy and "after mature deliberation", directed

1156-475: Was the sole canal providing Colorado River water to the Imperial Valley. [REDACTED] Media related to Alamo Canal at Wikimedia Commons Download coordinates as: Algodones Dunes The Algodones Dunes is a large sand dune field, or erg , located in the southeastern portion of the U.S. state of California , near the border with Arizona and the Mexican state of Baja California . The field

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