The Caldwell tribune. [volume] (Caldwell, Idaho Territory [Idaho]) 1883-1928, 1888-06-02
.lGaHlsEp,
The Last Mile Of the Great Sebree 9th
Completed this Week.--A Mammoth
and Successful Enterprise.


Last week THE TRIBUNE had oc-
casion to review the successful
workings of one of Caldwell's young
business institutions. This week
it is its pleasure to herald to the
world the completion of an enter
prise which for actual benefit to
this entire western country, for
magnitude of conception and busi-
ness-hke management, stands at
the head of the list-the Idaho
Canal and Colonization Cos ditch.
Work was commenced on, this
canal March 1st, 1SS7,-the
twentieth and last mile will be
completed to-day. The work has
been pushed continuously from the
start and in such manner as to
gain the entire confidence of the
people.
Starting at point on the Boise
river one mile north of Caldwell on
a level with the river bottom, the
ditch is 80 feet wide on the top and
90 feet wide on the bottom. This
dimension does not vary until the
end of the third mile where it is
reduced to Is feet on the bottom
which continues to the end of the
twelfth mile. From this point on
to the end of the twentieth mile
and the terminus of the ditch pro-
per, the bottom width is II feet,
Heavy laterals will be extended
from this point down to Snake
river, a distance of four miles.
Further on the line has been ex-
tended to the Payette bottoms and
will be built in the near future.
The substantial character of the
work has already been tested, water
having been running for some
time and no breaks of any import
ance have occurred.
The land covered, about $4,000
acres, is of high character. All
kinds of small grain, the grasses,
and fruits are produced in abund-
ance and of the finest quality.
improvements are being made
along the whole line of the ditch,
houses are springing up as if by
magic, fences being built, land
cleared and cultivated, and orchards
planted. Among the most import
ant improvements being made are
those of Howard Sebree, fencing
and clearing one section; j. A.
Goodhue, one section; Mr.. G. has
also set out 5000 fruit trees; G. H.
Sebree, one section; P. Fl. Lannan,
one section; P. P. Shelby, one Sec
ton; P. A. Devers, $50 ACRES,
while Messrs. Fouch Bros, C. J. s.
Peterson, Anthony Anderson, Mike
Conway, H. I. Mclaughlin, and a
host of others are rapidly trans
forming the desert into fields Of
waving grain. Every acre Of land
under the ditch has been taken
and not an acre of it is held for
speculative purposes.
And nowWhy can not the glorious
results apparent here be attained
elsewhere? The amount of land
covered by this ditch is very small
when compared with the vast tracts
of irrigable land in Ada county,
Here is an actual demonstration
that canals can be profitably con-
structed in Ada county, and that
the land so watere6 leaps at once
into value and has marvellous quail
tiles for producing crops-still the
vast volumes of the Boise are al
lowed to flow Increasingly to the
sea, when by proper effort they
would make happy homes for
thousands of settlers.
There are now at least half
dozen canal sights in Ada county
awaiting the requisite capital for
development, all Of which, with
proper management, can be made
enormously profitable investments.