weekend american history tv is featuring key west, florida. our city staff traveled there to learn about its history. or not key west and other stops on our tour online. you are watching american history tv, all weekend, every weekend on c-span3. >> each week, american history tv's "reel america" renewed historical films of the 20th century. as california experiences drought and water shortages, we take you back to 1949 and an educational film documenting an abundance of water in california past central valley. the film details irrigation systems that help the state become one of the leading agricultural regions in the world. ♪

>> the great valley of central california lies almost in the center of the state. it's more than 400 miles long and 60 miles wide and except for the narrow opening at san francisco bay, it is surrounded i ranges of high mountains. a long time ago, this whole area was a great gulf, an arm of the pacific ocean. many swift streams flow into it from the surrounding mountains. rushing mountain streams like this carried millions of tons of earth down into the gulf. now what happened after that went on for thousands of years? rock materials from the mountains were dumped and the gulf and spread out by rivers and streams. gradually, the gulf fills up

with these materials. now all that is left of the old gulf is san francisco bay. after countless thousands of years, the great central valley was formed, a valley filled with deep, fertile soil and drained by two river systems. the sacramento, said by many tributaries, flows from the northern end of the great valley to the delta lands east of san francisco. and, the san joaquin date -- drains the southern edge of the valley, flowing northward. now we see the valley is high at the north and south ends and sloops to nearly sea level where the rivers meet. in the days of the early settlers, cattle were raised in the northern part of the great valley. in the long, hot summers, they could be driven up into the green meadows of the nearby mountains.

but some areas of the sacramento valley were so dry that only sheep could be grazed profitably. in the south, there was so little rainfall, millions of acres were wasteland. only a handful of settlers tried to make this for betting land support them -- forbidding lan support them. because most of the northern part of the great valley had enough water for wheat, corn and vegetables, the farms of this part of the valley were prosperous. the wealth of this northern section of the great valley was water, flowing from the nearby mountains. the farmers on this land harvested rich crops, dairy farming prospered with green pastures and pure water. now let's remember this prime

farm in the well watered part of the northern valley and compare it with this in the southern san joaquin. this soil is rich. given enough water, it could produce down harvests. only about 40 miles from this dry valley for our the giant sequoia trees. how mighty water can be in shaping the landscape. but nature had not provided water down in the valley. millions of acres would have remained a barren waste if the men who settled this part of the great valley had not used their knowledge and strength to irrigate the land. they dug wells and pump water into the naturally fertile soil. as more and more water was needed, they built reservoirs to hold the excess water of the winter rains. the growing season is more than

240 days a year and with irrigation, many farms produce several crops each year. today, the valley is benefiting from the creation of a giant irrigation project. many huge reservoirs and a great network of canals and pumping stations provide water for millions of acres in the great valley. when man used his wisdom and energy to bring water to this land, he worked wonders. the irrigated soil yields crops of egyptian cotton. the original seeds were reported from the muddy delta of the nile river. the climate and soil of the entire central valley are excellent or grapes and its vineyards rival those of france and italy. many varieties of grapes are used to make the lines for which the valley is famous. and here is another famous crop

of the valley -- raisins. the grapes are placed on paper trays in the vineyards where the hot sun dries them in turns the juice into sugar. when they are dry on top, they are turned to dry them evenly and prevent ill do. the city of fresno is known as the raisin center of the world. men use the hot sun and long rainless summer to dry grapes into raisins. plums into prunus and figs and pairs and apricots. i dried fruit is a major product of a great valley and conditions were drying it are at their best near fresno. finally, the trays of nearly dried fruit are stacked so nature will finish the project slowly in the shade. some ranchers operate their own roadside stands selling their produce to customers who come along.

but most crops go to nearby fresno where they are prepared for market. that is a load of fresh picked grapes bound for market. we have learned how man's use of irrigation developed the arid southern part of the great valley and how the city of fresno serves as a trading center for the region. 200 miles north on the delta of the san joaquin is stockton. the natural fertility of the delta land has been increased by another system of canals and pumping stations, distribute and water to 400,000 acres of rich farmland. the irrigated land produces valuable beans, salaries and tomatoes. in fact come a great many different kinds of crops are grown here on the rich velvet soil. stockton has become the key city in the central valley for marketing and distributing fresh vegetables and fruits. farther north, near the state

capital of sacramento, farmers have made use of the low lands bordering the sacramento river. this broad river provides ample water for rice growers. here we can see how rice is grown in china or egypt, but this fertile rice field is in california. huge field are flooded, diced into large squares, unlike the large patties of china or egypt. the water supplies have been increased by huge reservoirs like the one behind shasta dam. water is distributed to thousands of acres that were once used only for wheat or barley, but are now capable of producing more profitable crops like fruit. irrigation and modern farm machinery increase the yield of the land and provide employment for millions of people. the city of sacramento's chief

trading center for the northern valley lies at the head of navigation on the sacramento river. oil tankers and barges deliver fuel oil for sacramento's mills and factories. this city has become a busy manufacturing center, producing tools and machines needed the farmers of the valley. to ship these product and bring in raw materials sacramento is served by one of the largest railroad yards in the nation at roseville, nearby. stockton, serving the rich delta land farther south, markets and ships best quantities of produce. by far, the greatest tons goes to the canneries where does processed and packed for safe delivery to all parts of the world. stockton is famous as the canning center of the valley. fruits and vegetables are often

completely processed, canned labeled and created, ready to ship within a few hours after they have been picked in the fields. stockton, like sacramento, is located on a navigable river. here, the farmers goods may be loaded into ships headed to asia or ulster rally of. or the trucks distribute the harvest to every state in the union. today, the central valley of california is a rich source of food and wealth for the whole nation. three rapidly growing cities, sacramento in the north, stockton on the great delta, and fresno in the self serve the regions around them. we have seen how the farmers have used irrigation to turn useless land into a rich farm and we have seen how the land and the climate help to shape the lives and occupations of the people who live in this central

valley. ♪ >> you are watching american history tv, 48 hours of programming every weekend on c-span3. follow us on twitter for information on our schedule of upcoming programs and to keep up with the latest history news. like many of us, first families take vacation time. and like president and first lady's, a good read can be the perfect companion for your summer journeys. what better book than one that appears inside the personal life of every first lady american history? "first lady's -- presidential historians on the lives of 45 iconic american women" -- inspiring women in the

white house. a great summertime raid available as a hardcover or e-book through your favorite bookstore or online bookseller. >> the sun was sitting front left of the chamber, so when brooks comes into the chamber he comes into the center doors and is almost looking directly at sumner. the problem is sumner is not looking at him. sumner's head is out and he's literally signing copies on the crime against kansas speech. sumner walks down the aisle with his cane, approaches sumner, totally oblivious to what is happening, and brooks reaches him, lift his cane over his head and says mr. sumner, i have read your speech over twice. it is a liable to my state and my relative.

sumner looks up at this point and him brooks is blurred through his lasses because he is so close and brooks strikes sumner on the top of the head with a cane. summers head explodes in blood almost instantly. >> the caning of charles sumner by preston brooks that drove the country closer to civil war, tonight at 8:00 eastern and pacific on c-span's "q and a." each week, american history tv's "reel america" brings you historical films from the 20th century. "challenge to america" is a 1955 film produced by several advertising associations predicting economic growth in the united dates up to the year 1965. the group argues the american economy is poised to greatly expand with new marketing