Description: Ensuring enough water for crops is a challenge for farmers. But through the use of irrigation, previously dry lands can be made fertile for growing. Nowhere is this more evident than in the American West. In this 1947 photograph by Joe Munroe, a Utah farmer digs and maintains his irrigation ditches by hand. Joe Munroe's career began in 1939 at the Cranbrook Academy of Art. He served in the Air Force during World War II and then joined Cincinnati-based Farm Quarterly magazine. Though raised in Detroit, agriculture became an important subject of Joe's photographs. He moved to California in 1955 and free-lanced, taking magazine assignments and selling his own work. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: P400_B27_571_JPG082
Subjects: Joe Munroe; Farming; Irrigation farming;
Places: Utah
 

Description: Farm hand using a shovel to help direct the flow of water during irrigation, photographed by Joe Munroe, 1965. Crops take an enormous amount of water to grow, and underground irrigation systems like the one seen here were a large help to farmers who had little access to water. Joe Munroe's career began in 1939 at the Cranbrook Academy of Art. He served in the Air Force during World War II and then joined Cincinnati-based Farm Quarterly magazine. Though raised in Detroit, agriculture became an important subject of Joe's photographs. He moved to California in 1955 and free-lanced, taking magazine assignments and selling his own work. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: P400_B30_004
Subjects: Joe Munroe; Farm life; Farming; Irrigation farming
Places: California
 

Description: James Jepson, photographed here by Joe Munroe at the age of 93, was part of a duo that helped to create the Hurricane Canal Company, which raised the funds to create an irrigation canal in Utah. The goal was to help bring water to the land and make it usable for farmers. The canal took ten years to complete and serviced 2,000 acres of land, running an eight-mile span across ravines and through mountains. Joe Munroe's career began in 1939 at the Cranbrook Academy of Art. He served in the Air Force during World War II and then joined Cincinnati-based Farm Quarterly magazine. Though raised in Detroit, agriculture became an important subject of Joe's photographs. He moved to California in 1955 and free-lanced, taking magazine assignments and selling his own work. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: P400_B04_F16_003
Subjects: Joe Munroe; Farm life; Irrigation, Hurricane (Utah); Farming
Places: Utah
 

Description: The irrigation of crops on an Ohio farm. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: SA1039AV_B06F04_013_1
Subjects: Agriculture--Ohio--History--20th century.; Irrigation
Places: Ohio
 

Description: The need for irrigation and fresh water in the southern part of California led to the Central Valley Project of the 1930s, which called for a series of damns and causeways to store and direct water to the San Joaquin Valley. This 1966 aerial photograph by Joe Munroe shows one of the causeways and its surrounding farmland. Unfortunately, the dams have led to unforeseen environmental issues for migrating fish and local ecosystems in the north, which has caused outcry throughout the environmental community. Joe Munroe's career began in 1939 at the Cranbrook Academy of Art. He served in the Air Force during World War II and then joined Cincinnati-based Farm Quarterly magazine. Though raised in Detroit, agriculture became an important subject of Joe's photographs. He moved to California in 1955 and free-lanced, taking magazine assignments and selling his own work. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: P400_B32_F2268_JPG103
Subjects: Joe Munroe; Farms; Irrigation; Central Valley Project (Calif.);
Places: California
 

Description: This 1974 photograph by Joe Munroe shows a lone windmill on the Nebraska plains. Windmills were a great help to advancing settlers as they crossed the Great Plains region of the United States. In addition to grinding grains, they were adapted to help pump water from the ground. This was useful in a variety of ways, including providing drinking water for herds as they roamed across the plains. This practice also served as a form of irrigation to help pump out fields that were flooded with water, thereby making them useful for growing. Joe Munroe's career began in 1939 at the Cranbrook Academy of Art. He served in the Air Force during World War II and then joined Cincinnati-based Farm Quarterly magazine. Though raised in Detroit, agriculture became an important subject of Joe's photographs. He moved to California in 1955 and free-lanced, taking magazine assignments and selling his own work. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: P400_B33_F2418_JPG107
Subjects: Joe Munroe; Wind pumps; Windmills; Irrigation;
Places: Nebraska