Highline Canal, Mesa County, Colorado 1912 39.1772 -108.61343 Mesa Colorado USA http://www.geonames.org/5423507/government-highline-canal.html Geonames link for Highline Canal, Mesa County, Colorado According to Harry Augustus Talbott in his lecture on fruit growing in the region, ground for the canal was broken in 1912 and water released into the canal in 1915. The Grand Junction Chamber of Commerce promoted the canal during this time. According to George Cecil Harper, whose father George Washington Harper was a surveyor on the canal, construction began near Cameo in 1909. After seven years of work, water had reached Loma. A celebration was held at the 48th parallel upon the completion of the canal, where everyone took a drink from the same tomato can. During the Great Depression, the Civilian Conservation Corps had plans to lay concrete in the bed of the canal. The CCC camp in Palisade took charge of this task. According to oral history interviewee Marion Echternach, the young man in charge of the operation did not know much about concrete work, and so Echternach leant him the book “Twelve Courses in Agriculture,” which explained the mixing and pouring of concrete. This allowed the CCC to finish the job. According to oral history interviewee Walter "Dick" Lloyd, who was born in Palisade in 1907, the town held a celebration when the canal was finished. Children would swim in the canal when they were old enough and brave enough and, according to Grand Junction resident Richard “Dick” Williams, “had enough help.” They also would ice skate on the Highline in winter, during a time when it got colder and there was more ice. place:624 Mesa County, Colorado yes yes Government Highline Canalhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Government_Highline_CanalWikipedia entry for Highline Canal