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Dr. A. J. Chandler used the Marion Steam Dredge to improve the local canals by digging down to bedrock, 1891
When Dr. Alexander J. Chandler arrived in Arizona, he sought to improve the primitive and unreliable patchwork of canals. In 1891, after two years of negotiations, Dr. Chandler was awarded a contract to expand the Mesa Canal. At that time, the Mesa Canal was a hand-dug trench that brought water from the Salt River to Mesa, and was cooperatively managed by the farmers that it served. Dr. Chandler promised to improve the canal at no cost to the farmers, as long as he could use any excess water gained from the improvements.
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