The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1889-05-10
THE SHOShoNE CANAL.
A Movement To Conquer Big Desert ID
Idaho Territory.

"ln lhc great valley OF tho Snake
river, from few miles beyond Boise
10 Shoshone and beyond" said Charles
&. Mcpherson. "are from 5000, 600 To
1900. GOO acres OF arabic land that will.
IL things end as they now indicate, be
shortly transformed into garden
Mr.. Mcpherson is an old and wealthy
resident Of Boise, the capital city OF
Idaho.
This ,tupendous acreage, he con-
tiuued, "is at present n desert. But
there are "A hundred times as much
water in the Snake river as would irri-
gate it. so the Legislature in conuec-
tion with the Oregon Short Line, is
making "a great move 20 get some OF
this water out ON it, What is proposed
is n groa. canal, known rs the Shoshono
canal, which will convey water ON this
at prosen arid empire and convert IL
into from 1880 10 $4,000 farms Of 100
acres each.
Now each OF these farms would
have az last fy9 persons on il, which
would M ie "a population OF about l00-
600 pers, IS, and probably as many as
1876, 900, ith about %, 900 dwellings.
In place Z Boise having 5000 people
or loss at The present time she would
Jump TO 1900 or 10000.
$50 stCckmeu, Idaho legislators, and
the Oregon Short Line have set To work
TO get$2, DO 600 from the National Gov
ernmcnt 10 run this canal. The Govern
meut own the land, but il Is worth moth
ing without the water. Private parties
have not lot the money TO do the work
with, ano il they had the Government
owns the land anyhow, so il could not
be uuderlI ken, at least not just now.
"ln orler 90 formulate plan on
which 90 work the legislative commit
tee appointed TO look IL up and the
Shoshonc repre- sentative Of the Oregon
Short line have invited the whole Leg
islaturc t. go over 10 Salt Lake and
see what Las been done there and gain
statistics about il. The whole Wasatch
valley is I'd be viewed ana the most
Trustworthy data gained Tho whole
country thereabout has been made 90
blossom as "a rose solely by the aid
Of com laratlvely small amount OF
water from the Jordan river. Origi-
nally the llnd was covered with grease
wood aud 5agcbrush IL was uneven
and as 1yly and forbidding rs tho
Sahara ever was.
almost every body knows at least a
little about how It has been trans
forming aud that the valley is dotted
with towns, with 40, 600 persons at Salt
Lake, l2,O)O at Ogden. and 900 10
5000 i'm each OF twenty others
"Wcll. the Shoshono or Snake country
is bigger one by far. with just ~
good and much smoother land. SO
this is Why all Idaho Is now on the
watch about the canal project.
There is plenty Of grass for stock in
the mountains around during the sum
mer, but in tho winter there is none,
and as there is no hay the only thing
Is 20 water the valley and raise alfalfa,
clover, timothy, and rcdtop. But this,
after all. is the smallest of reasons,
.importan as IL is.
The great reason ls, OF course, 20
subduo n lescrt and let 10 be pcOplcd
by the tens Of thousands who are ready
now TO move upon IT, Such move.
mcnt 20 clip dig the big Shoshono
canal would double the population OF
Idaho In two years and make "A fine
State OF IL in short order. San Fran
cisco Examiner.