This sepia colored photograph shows the construction of the Eureka Irrigation Canal in Ford County, Kansas. Financed in 1883 by Asa T. Soule, the project was a scheme to divert water from the Arkansas River for profit. The ninety-six mile canal began in the town of Ingalls, Kansas, and stretched across Gray and Ford counties before emptying into Coon Creek in Edwards County. When construction was completed in 1885 the canal struggled to generate a profit. Within five years the Eureka Irrigation Canal became a losing venture and was later abandoned by investors.