Building the New York Canal

The same year, 1906, that work began on the dam, construction also started on diverting more water from the Boise River at a point just above the diverting point for the Ridenbaugh.

The New York Canal had its orgins around 1882 when new York capitalists saw that a major canal was needed to bring water to more desert land. Mining possibilities as well as reclamation prospects entered into these inventor's plans because at that time Sanke River fine gold was attracting attention, but no way was found to recover the flour-sized gold particles.

Work on the New York Canal was halted many time because of financial setbacks of the private investors attempting to build it. By the time the Boise-Payette Project was started...

...three sections of the canal were worked on simultaneously. They enlarged the old canal, built a section of new canal, and used a part of the channel of Indian Creek to reach the reservoir. 

The canal has been called the Main South Side Canal, the Main Canal, but in more modern times, The New York Canal. While it was being built, dust hung over the work.

A revolving derrick was used. The skip was moved across the canal by the derrick where it was hand loaded.

Often a break would occur in the bank and workers as well as teams and wagons would be pressed into duty to repair the breach.

The canal was finished January 12, 1909 but that was not the end of work on the canal. It was enlarged in 1912 and its sides were lined in dangerous places with concrete sections. 

The sections were laid alternately so that they could throughly dry before the blank spaces were filled.

At various times a thousand men worked on the canal, housed in camps near the section where they were working. [see the Original Canal]