1887 The Day They Turned Off The Water
In the early days of settlement, farmers in the Central Valley of California relied on irrigation from the Kings River for all their water needs. The Settlers Ditch, dug years ago by the farmers, brought water to many, including to Jake and Sally Sanders’ small Double Bar ranch.
But in June 1887, this water from the High Sierra snows ceases to flow to the ranch: a disaster. With no water for the household, the livestock, or for crop irrigation, Jake and his Yokut friend, Kasha, ride out to discover the cause of the blockage. They are shocked to find a stranger with a rifle has blocked the headwater gate. The man shoots Kasha’s horse dead and tells them that someone called Boss Carr now owns riparian rights to the water. Jake rides his horse into the man to prevent him shooting again and opens the gate, then turns to find the man dead. Kasha and Jake are jailed, charged with murder. Kasha, as an Indigenous person, will have no trial, and Jake’s trial is not expected to be a fair one. His wife, Sally, must use her wits to try to gain a fair trial for both men. The author vividly portrays Sally’s struggles as, aided by a local newspaperman, she faces up to a prominent state politician.
This is an important story, clearly and simply told. The characters, from Kasha’s savagely raped grandmother to the self-important Boss Carr, are deftly established and come close to unforgettable. Sally’s emotions as well as her strategies are understandable to today’s reader as well as true to the ethos of the time. This is a story important to our understanding of a state in a time of growth and transition, where gunslingers and prejudice too often prevailed.
