Daily Yellowstone journal. [volume] (Miles City, Mont.) 1882-1893, 1889-10-19
LET'S IRRIGATE.
The Development of the Tongue
River Ditch Opens Glorious
Possibilities for Miles City.
South Dakota's Legislature Has
Commenced Making Senator'S
Pettigrew and MOODY are
the Men.
PLENTY OF WATER.
The Farms Under the Tongue River Ditch
now Inundated.
PLENTY OF WATER.
The Farms Under the Tongue River Ditch
now Inundated.

Iitbere is anyone In this community
who. wearied by lohg waiting for the
"yoCd times" begins TO feel as II Miles
City had seen its best days and had no
future ahead of il, to such an one
We would say, take team and
drive ieisurely up to the dam keeping
along the line OF the ditch, with eyes
and ears open. At the dam let him
note the inexhaustable water supply,
and on the return, keeping close TO the
ditch, put on his thinking cap aud
picture to himself what all InexhaUst-
able supply VI water means, iu con-
junction with the broad rich bottom
that stretches away between the ditch
aud the river, with but one break, al.
Kings bluff, between the reservoir
and the dam. The writer made this
trip on Friday aud had his faith in
the future Of Miles City increased inn
measurably. For Years the Tongue
river ditch has been TO US promise,
but IL Is now Un accomplished fact
whuse usefulness is no longer the sub
ject Of conjecture. Nearly every farm
along its route il now traversed with
lateIals through which the water from
the msin ditch il merrily coursiug,
flooding the land aud creating innu-
merahle lakes and ponds, with oceans
to spare, and rrdeeming TO cultivation
not less than five thousand acres of
land which has practically been un-
productive heretofore. But this Is
only half Of what may be said by Sext
spring. Already the water has been
tu ned into the natural basin known
AS the reservoir, aud work Is now In
progress continuing the ditch from
the reservoir a distance Of four miles
down into what il known as the Milss
City bottom. Under q contract for
one thousand feet of very heavy cut
Leading east from the reservoir. Sam
Thurman IL nov at work with teams
and scrapers. From thence the llue
of the ditch runs still east, until il
strikes Carbon Hill. around which IL
will be carried by excsvating into the
side of the hill above the entrivs Of the
different coal mines. Having rounded
the hill II stll keeps to the high land,
crossing the Haynes farm at its high
est point, and thence along the high
ground till II reaches Kirchers, where
the work for this year will terminate,
constituting an extension Of about four
miles and adding about five thousand
acres more to the irrigable lands Of the
valley.
Some six or seven years ago the
Tongue river ditch was commenced,
with every prospect Of being finished
in year or two. Faulty engineering
in the construction of the dam resulted
10 two separate disasters which not
only greatly retarded the work, but
added so largely 10 the cost that many
OF the original stock holders dropped
out, which, coupled with the scarcity
Of money, engendered by the great re-
verses Of the cattle industry, brought
the ditch enterprise to standstil.
The few who had faith In it, however,
put their hands in their pockets, and
by going down far enough, managed
to find enough to complete the work
of fluming around Kings bluff, joiu-
ing the upper and lower ends of the
ditch, and making II available for
service as far down as the reservoir.
The work from the reservoir down to
Kircher's Is being done mainly on the
cooperative plan by parties owning
land under the ditch, who put in their
work and take stock for the value Of
II Thus the great enterprise which
is to be the mainstay Of Miles City is
rapidly approaching completion, and
will next season add 10000 acres OF
cultivated land 10 the resources OF this
town.
With our soil, climate. extreme
length Of seasons, irrigation renders
everything in the way Of agriculture
possible and remuneratIve and land
that has, since the speculative era died
out, been valuless. will now have q
price and a market. There il this
difference, too, in irrigation from our
ditch and irrigation IN other localities
In the territory, where the water sup
ply IL mountain streams. Which In
the case Of the latter is cheaplv used by
reason Of It's elevation IL happens las IL
did last yeArl that In dry saaaans xvha,