William Adam Farish |
| Posted 2017-12-31 by Pat R |
| Wickenburg Sun (Wickenburg, Arizona) Friday, May 1, 1936, p. 1 W. A. Farish Dies Ashes of Prominent Engineer and Arizona Pioneer to Be Scattered From Top of Antelope Mesa at Yarnell William A. Farrish (sic: Farish), pioneer Arizona engineer, Phoenix's first city manager, leading spirit in the Wittman irrigation project, and long-time resident of Wickenburg, passed away at 11:30 o'clock Wednesday night in Monte Sano hospital, Los Angeles. Word of the death was received here yesterday by Sam Smith, long associated with Mr. Farrish in the Wittman enterprise. He had been in failing health for three years, and had undergone three operations. Funeral services, not yet complete, will include cremation, and as one of Mr. Farrish's last requests, his ashes, together with those of his wife, who died last fall, will be taken to Antelope Mesa, on Yarnell hill, and there scattered. Son of State Historian Mr. Farish was born in San Francisco, Calif., in 1871, a son of T. E. Farish, Arizona's first state historian, and Mr. (sic: Mrs.) Farish. The Farish family had pioneered westward from Virginia during gold rush days of 1849. Educated in California public schools, Mr. Farish first came to Arizona in 1884, immediately after the death of his mother. He stopped at Tombstone and later went east to attend college at Oak Ridge, N.C., before returning to Arizona in 1886 and settling in Phoenix. He became manager of the water works and sewage system almost immediately after coming here and during the subsequent 15 years also served as city manager. Among his duties was the gauging of the water of the Gila, Salt and Verde rivers for the United States government. Located Roosevelt Dam Site Soon after the turn of the century he was sent into the field as engineer in charge of the party which located the Tonto dam site, now known as Roosevelt dam. Mr. Farish made the original location for the Hudson Storage and Dam company, choosing the site upon which the structure subsequently was built. In addition he surveyed the Apache Trial highway and supervised the building of canals, bridges and other Salt River project works for the reclamation service. Surveying the highway was a job which meant "hanging by the eyebrows from a cliff a lot of the time," Mr. Farish once said. Drew "Exclusive Lines' It was he who drew the "exclusive lines" to establish the irrigable area of the Salt River project and it was under his direction that the original farm unit plats were drawn forming the basis for filing of water right applications. Expansion of the system of lateral which were in use when the reclamation service began work on the local project also was performed under his direction. Like many of the early engineers, Mr. Farish knew how to take care of himself by "living off the land" while on surveying trips. He was described by a friend as one of the "handiest men with a frying pan and a burro" in the West. He was an enthusiastic student of Arizona's early history and pioneer lore. City Manager in 1913 When Phoenix changed its government to the city manager form in 1913, Mr. Farish became the first city manager in Arizona. For 12 years preceding his death Mr. Farish was engineer in charge of the Wittman project on the Hassayampa river. During that time he made his home in Wickenburg. He is survived by his brother and a daughter, Jane (Mrs. Paul Culbert), both residents of Phoenix. His daughter was at his bedside in Monte Sano hospital when death came. "While the death of Mr. Farish is a great blow to us all the progress of the Wittman irrigation project will not be hindered," Mr. Smith stated yesterday. "Mr. Farish's work was done and well done, and the result of his long research are in the hand of the proper officials in Washington. The pity is that he could not live to see the consummation of the greatest work of his life." See Also: Find A Grave |
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