This is just the beginning! Our collection holds over 300 years of history, including rare newspapers, obituaries, marriage records, birth records, and so much more—most of which you won’t find anywhere else!
Water wars and wells shape Finney County irrigation century
The article traces irrigation from the 1880s to postwar changes in Finney County. It notes the Great Eastern Ditch and Amazon Ditch projects, early reliance on groundwater, and the Arkansas River water disputes culminating in a compact. It highlights the Ogallala Aquifer decline, shifting farming methods, and Rodger Funk’s adaptation from flood to sprinkler irrigation and dryland practices.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Finney County
D.R. Menke
Garden City
C.J. “Buffalo’ Jones
Arkansas River
Kansas Supreme Court
Colorado
Rockies
Hamilton County
Kansas State Board of Agriculture
West
Arkansas Valley
Gillespie
Great Eastern
Amazon
Gulf
Kansas
Finney/Kearny county
Great Eastern Ditch
John Martin
Division of Water Resources
Ogallala
Pope
Funk
GMD