User:Desert Tripper/Mill Creek Zanja

Mill Creek Zanja (locally pronounced ) is a manmade waterway that begins near Mill Creek at the northeast boundary of the town of Mentone, San Bernardino County. It is the earliest large-scale irrigation project in the San Bernardino Valley. The canal extends in a generally westerly direction through the communities of Mentone, Crafton, and Redlands, ending near what is now the city of Loma Linda. One very well manicured section bisects Redlands' Sylvan Park and is one of the park's most prominent features. Much of the zanja's eastern portion is intact, but the ditch now empties into an underground storm drain near the intersection of Ninth and Central near downtown Redlands. The portion of the zanja west of downtown has been heavily altered and intersected by other drainage channels; the eastern half is regarded as the best preserved section. The canal currently carries no irrigation water and mainly serves as a channel for runoff. It is usually dry during summer months.

History
In the early 1800s, Franciscan fathers at the San Gabriel Mission identified the San Bernardino Valley as a prime area for cattle grazing. In 1819, they founded an outpost called the Estancia (now known as the Asistencia.) To bring water to the vast grazing area near what is now Loma Linda, the fathers commissioned the construction of an irrigation ditch ("zanja" in Spanish) to divert water from Mill Creek, several miles to the northeast. The ditch was dug with Indian labor between 1819 and 1820.

The zanja was modified with little view towards preservation during building booms, most notably the expansion of downtown Redlands, which forced a large section underground. In more recent years, a movement has begun to preserve what is left of the canal and award it official historic status.

The portion between Sylvan Blvd. and Mill Creek Road was placed on the National Register of Historic Places on May 12, 1977. ref=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Register_of_Historic_Places_listings_in_San_Bernardino_County,_California

Future
One project in the works is the building of a 4.5 mile walking and bicycling trail along the zanja's eastern portion. ref=http://www.pe.com/local-news/san-bernardino-county/san-bernardino-county-headlines-index/20100926-redlands-zanja-trail-progressing-but-still-a-dream.ece The trail would extend from Sapphire Avenue in Mentone to the zanja's current terminus near Ninth and Central in Redlands. The project has not started but has received $40,000 in funding from the History Channel and the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians.

Nearby features
Southern California Edison operates a substation named Zanja about 3 miles east of the canal's intersection with Mill Creek.