OID to mark centennial

By John Holland
jholland@modbee.com

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OAKDALE — One hundred years ago this fall, civic leaders got a flood of support for harnessing the Stanislaus River.

Area residents voted 849-27 on Oct. 23, 1909, to create the Oakdale Irrigation District.

Over the next century, it would build and improve dams and canals that helped farmland flourish in northeastern Stanislaus and southeastern San Joaquin counties.

A crew pours concrete in 1956 for Donnells Dam, part of the Tri-Dam water and power system on the upper Stanislaus River. The Oakdale and South San Joaquin irrigation districts remain partners in the system. (OID photos courtesy of Oakdale Museum, Tim Haidlen Collection)

AT A GLANCE

Some of the milestones in the Oakdale Irrigation District's first century:
- 1913: Goodwin Dam is completed
- 1926: Melones Dam comes on line
- 1957: The Tri-Dam Project, including Tulloch, Beardsley and Donnells dams, is finished
- 1979: New Melones Dam, a federal project that includes water storage for the OID and the South San Joaquin Irrigation District, is completed
- 2007: Major rehabilitation starts on canals, tunnels and other parts of the OID water system
• • •
- The OID will mark its centennial celebration with an event Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Gene Bianchi Community Center, 110 S. Second Ave., Oakdale. A free barbecue lunch for district residents will start at 11 a.m. State and local officials will speak. Participants can view displays on improvements under way to the irrigation system and the Stanislaus River fishery.

It also got into the hydroelectric power business, which has helped pay for the irrigation.

All this will be celebrated Saturday with a free barbecue for district residents. It will be a chance for them to see what the district is doing to enhance the system and improve the Stanislaus River fishery, General Manager Steve Knell said.

The centennial was noted this week by directors of the nearby Modesto and Turlock irrigation districts, both founded in 1887.

An MID resolution said the Oakdale district "has contributed immeasurably to the prosperity of Stanislaus County" and has provided "exemplary services to its customers."

The OID's first big move after its founding was to buy a private water system that dated to the mid-1800s.

It was joined in this by the South San Joaquin Irrigation District, which was founded earlier in 1909 to serve the Manteca-Escalon area. The two districts would go on to work on several joint water and power projects.

Bee staff writer John Holland can be reached at jholland@modbee.com or 578-2385.