, 1884-08-26
VERDANT FIELDS,
The irrigation Of 10000 Acres of
Fertile Plateau Land.
Thirty-fOur Miles of bitches and a
Monster Tunnel.
Western Homes ofPIenty for Nearly
Four Hundred Families.

This immense tract is bounded on the east
by the beautiful Chugwater Creek. on the
north by the rolling Laramie River, on
the west by the Sabille Greek and e x
tends southwark to the road to Hunton' $
ranch and the p ranch.
The edges of this grand plateau touch
the base of the mountains that, in irregu-
lar picket line, guard its western, north
ern and eastern sides, while lines of YER
dure, coursing across it here and there,
mark the ways of snowborn creeks. The
plateau has an elevation of from 1900
feet to $500 feet, and its rich yet virgin
soil is unsurpassed in productive qualities.
Approaching the possibilities of this pla-
teau, a syndicate of Cheyenne capitalists
determined to irrigate it Thoroughly and
prepare it for settlement by an industri-
agricultural people.
About n year ago these gentlemen
formed an association, called the Wyom-
ing Development Company, and began
the work of retaining the wilderness.
Commencing about one and a half
miles below the mouth of Blue Grass
Greek, in township %, range 10 west,
they began the excavation of a ditch or
water way that, running eastward to one
portion of the plateau, is now over twenty
miles long. The ditch is twenty-five feet
wide on the bottom and carries a stream
of water seven feet deep, almost a river
in itself.
Desiring to irrigate every portion of the
plateau, another ditch was started from a
point on Sabille creek, in township d,
range 60 west, about fourteen miles below
the first ditch, This waterway extends in
a northeasterly direction about twelve miles
and covers the lower portions of the
plateau 1t is twenty feet wide at the
bottom and carries a stream six feet in
depth.
1t will readily be seen that two such
immense drafts upon the body of water in
any stream will severely tax the resources
Of anything smaller than a river of no
mean proportions. Careful computations
revealed the fact that the Sable creek
could not supply the bitches at all seasons
of the year. 1t was then determined TO
increase the volume of water in that
stream by adding thereto a reserve supply
from the Laramie river. Owing to the
intervening mountains, a communicating
ditch could no be ~excavated between the
Laramie river aud the Sable, but even
mountains did not thwart the purpose of
the company. Beginning at a point on
the line of townships % and %, range 70
west, a tunnel was started through the
granite hills. Work upon, or more
properly in, this tunnel is.now progress
ing. 1t will be three thousand feet long
and will go entirely through the ridge of
mountains.
The tunnel is 7xs feet in diameter, hay
ing a fall of two feet in every n hun
dred. Through this subterranean channel
the water Of the Laramie river will flow
into the Blue Grass creek, thence into the
Sabille and on into the bitches. The tun-
mel will be completed early next Summer,
and then the irrigation of 60,0O0 acres of
naturally production land will be provided
for.
No mean engineering skill has been en-
ployed in the mammoth enterprise. Mr..
4. S. Nettleton, State Engineer of Colo
RADIO, who has had, perhaps, more exper-
fence than any other living man in the
construction of artificial water ways, has
been at the head of the.work, while Mr.. j.
S. Titcomb, of Boulder, Colo, a gentle
man of great experience is the chief en-
gineer in charge. Mr.. Nettleton brings
to the enterprise the advantage of the ex-
p%erienee of fifteen years devoted to his
profession and the almost perfect results
achieved are undoubtedly due to his care
full calculations and consummate engineer
ing skill.
The object of retaining the plateau is
to populate it with actual settlers who will
occupy small farms. A simple mathe-
NAUTICAL computation will show that the
plateau will provide 375 families with
farms of l60 acres each. Everything
that now grows so profusely in the valley
of the Poudre IN Colorado can be grown
with equal success on the Wyoming
plateau. In this connection it may be Of
interest to note that fourteen years age
the Poudre valley, of Colorado, offered nc
better facilities than the Sabille valley
possessed one year ago.
Mr.. Nettleton, whose observations and
knowledge of Western agricultural lands,
entitled his opinions to respect, states that
he knows of only one so large a tract Of
Colorado land that will equal in produc-
ton the lands under consideration, while
none will surpass it, The soil is a sandy
loan with a depth varying from one and Q
half feet to fully ten feet.
THE land will be sold to settlers at about
the same price obtained for wild Govern.
ment lands, while the water will be fur
nished by the company at a fair annua
rental.
Small wood is obtained in abundanc,
from the adjacent hills and a saw mill ii
now working upon fine timber, which
covers a large area from ten to fifteer
miles from the plateau.
Iron, copper and other minerals art
found in the neighboring mountains, anC
prospectors have taken up claims which
give promises of producing still NOR
valuable ores. The scenery is unsur