Site of Four Mile Dam
Junction, Kimble County, Texas
Marker Inscription
BUILT UNDER AN 1896 CHARTER, OBTAINED FOR THE JUNCTION CITY IRRIGATION AND POWER DITCHES, TO FURNISH POWER FOR MILLS AND MINING SUPPLY CITY MAINS, WATER EXTENSIVE LANDS AND LIVESTOCK. AT FIRST UNDER ENGINEERING SUPERVISION OF G. W.REGSDILL, A LOCAL MAN, THEN OF R. J. HAND, SAN ANTONIO, PROJECT WAS SOLD 1903 TO JAY E. ADAMS, SAN ANTONIO,AND A. C. GREEN, OF PALESTINE, TEXAS. DAM WAS NATIVE STONE AND CYPRESS WOOD; DITCHES WERE 4 FT. DEEP, 20 FT . AT TOP, 12 AT BOTTOM. BIG DITCH CARRIED WATER LATE AT 1925; BUT WAS UNPROFITABLE. CHARTER WAS FORFEITED IN 1950. (1967)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Chartered in 1896, this dam and its network of irrigation and power ditches were meant to run mills, supply a young town's water, and green the surrounding ranch land. Built of native stone and cypress, the main ditch ran wide and deep, carrying water into the mid-1920s before proving unprofitable. The charter was finally forfeited in 1950.
Why it matters
Ambitious water projects like this reflect the West's central struggle to turn a dry landscape productive, and the frequent gap between engineering hope and economic reality.
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Themes & tags
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