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With a Map of Imperial Valley and Desert Region: All American Canal, Hoover Dam, Salton Sea, etc.
Photographic Views by Leo Hetzel
Extensively illustrated promotional booklet for Imperial County attributed to B.A. Harrigan, secretary of the Imperial County Board of Trade. Printed by Burris Bros. of Brawley and with a double-page color map focusing on Imperial Valley and greater California desert region with a focus on Colorado River hydrology: dams, irrigation canals, desilting works, and the like. Filled with views after photos by Leo Hetzel, perhaps the most prominent photographer working in the Imperial Valley at the time. Several versions of this work were issued. The present edition dates to circa 1934 - an artist's rendition of the Hoover Dam illustrates the cover and there is a reference to Gov. James Rolph in the text.
The map of Imperial Valley and its surrounding desert region in southeastern California highlights this vast area’s transformation into a major agricultural and recreational hub through an ambitious system of water diversion and irrigation. Central to this development is the All-American Canal, which transports water from the Colorado River—via the Imperial Dam and associated desilting works—into Imperial County, sustaining farming communities like El Centro, Brawley, Holtville, and Calexico. Additional infrastructure includes power plants, irrigation laterals, and drainage works, supporting large-scale agricultural production on what was once arid desert land.
The Salton Sea, a below-sea-level inland lake, also appears prominently, surrounded by recreational resorts and wildlife areas. The economy is depicted as agriculturally rich, with scenes of crop harvesting, livestock, and fairs, supplemented by mining, recreational tourism, and international commerce with nearby Mexicali. The map reflects how water engineering reshaped the region’s economy and landscape in the early to mid-20th century.
Rarity
Rare in the market. This edition not in Rocq who lists only an earlier version dated to 1925.
Victor “Leo” Leopold Hetzel (1877-1949) worked as a portrait photographer in Northern California before moving to El Centro in the early 1910s. He became perhaps the most prolific photographer of Imperial Valley.
Leo Hetzel’s photographed the everyday life in Imperial County communities, including farmworkers, desert landscapes, businesses, homes, schools, and the like.
