Before irrigation, the main crop in the Modesto area was wheat. ". . .the Modesto District was practically one wheat field of 82,000 acres," according to a 1920 Modesto Chamber booklet.

Irrigation : Water Wealth

Thirteen years of litigation delayed the advent of irrigation in the San Joaquin Valley. It was a long time to wait until the dams and canals could be built to help provide water for new crops to be grown in the Modesto area. It seems odd now, as homes spring up everywhere on the once fertile soil; as it becomes more difficult to find actual orchards

La Grange Dam