The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1889-07-30
IRRIGATION IN KANE.
A Southern County Sends in its
Report and Data.
FINE SITES FOB RESERVOIRS
The County Surveyor of Kane County Writes
en- the All-AbsOrbing Topic
of the Day.

The following letter has been received
by Governor Thomas for the information
of the Senate committee on irrigation, to
visit this city next month;
KANAB, KANE Co., Utah, July %, 1889.
To His Excellency Arthur L. Thomas,
Governor of Utah Territory.
DEAR SIR:-Having been appointed by
the county court rof Kane county, to an
swer your communication of June II, beg
leave to submit the following:
Tbree-fourths of the surface of our
county is mountains covered with timber.
The other quarter is arid land, all of which
would produce good crops by being irri-
gated The amount now cultivated in
comparison to what could be by an in
crease of water is very small. will give
an account of each of the principal streams
separately, commencing with the
EAST PORK OF THE RIO VIRGIN.
On the headwaters of East Fork Of this
stream there are about three hundred acres
under cultivation, about one quarter of
which is irrigated from numerous small
bitches. Ten miles below the canon opens
out into what is called Long Valley, with an
average width of half a mile and seven miles
in length. In this valley are situated the
towns of Glendale, Orderville and Mount
Carmel, Glendale occupying the north and
Mount Carmel the south end of the valley,
while Orderville is centrally located.
Between Orderville and Mount Carmel,
in what is known as the cove, there are
fifty acres of good land that could ne cult
waited by an extension of the Orderville
ditch and an increase of water.
hOut milp bplOyV Mount Carmel a
stream called the Muddy flows in from the
west on which about sixty acres are now
cultivated, and 200 more could be by an in
crease of water. From Mount Carmel the
course Of this branch of the Virgin for
seven miles is a succession of narrows and
small COveS, said COveS containing in the
aggregate about three hundred acres of
good land There is a small side canon at
nearly every cove that could be damed up
and filled from the main stream in the win
ter season, with sufficient water to irrigatG
the cove. This is also the case with the
Muddy branch. Many of these reservoirs
will be made in time by private enter
prise, but in the mountains at the head
of this stream, some ten miles above
Glendale, are located several sites en-
a large scale that could be used to hold the
water up in the spring and let it down in
the dry season. Being natural reservoirs
they are used now by parties who farm
fifteen or twenty acres near each Of them
One of these sites, owned by r. G.. Jolley,
could be made to cover fifty acres six feet
deep at an expense of $500. Another,
owned by Il. G. Jolley s. Co., could be made
to cover 100 acres, fifteen feet deep, at an
expense of $500. Another, owned by z.
Potter & Co, could be made to cover 100
acres, eight feet deep, at an expense Of
$500. And yet another, owned by Mr.. Lee
vanger, could be made to cover forty acres,
raY, fan 1npO nj q ny-n of SSlhl
These sites are located in the mountains
among pine timber and removed from all
danger of floods which might break or fill
them with mud or debris. All the present
owners ask is to be allowed to use the same
amount of water from the reservoirs that
they now use. There is always an abund-
ance of snow water to fill these reservoirs
and plenty of use for the water in Long
valley.
RAEAB CREEK.
On the head waters of Kanab creek are
some very fine farms, comprising about
three hundred acres of land under cultiva-
ton and twice that amount of pasture land
under fence. There is 200 acres of good
land that could be cultivated by an increase
of water, and one good reservoir site on
the property of WoOlley and Segmiller,
which could be made to cover ten acres, ten
feet deep, at an expense of 81 900.
lmn6Ql&USly pSlOW IubS6 1dEUlS, dJ INC
lower end of the valley, the mountains
cdne almost together, and by building a
dam twenty rods long and 100 feet wide a
reservoir could be made that would cover
a half mile square, at an average depth OF
thirty feet.
Eight miles below this point S. M. Ander-
son has reservoir in successful operation.
1t is little cove on one side of the narrow
valley, with an area of about five acres He
has constructed a ditch five miles long to fill
it, which he did last spring in one week to
the depth Of eight feet. He is cultiyating
fifteen acres this season and will not use
half the water. He intends to irrigate fifty
acres from this reservoir next season
Twenty-Five miles down from the head
of.Kanab creek is the town of Kanab the
county seat of Kane county There are no
good reservoir-sites in the canon above
it, but along the foothills on both sides are
numerous good small sites which could be
filed in the winter and so increase the
amount Of land cultivated many times.
JOHNSON RUN.
Along this stream for twenty miles the
valley has an average width of half mile
all good land and many side canyons that
would make good reservoirs at a small eX-
peDse. The only land cultivated on this
stream is the Schutampah ranch and about
$50 acres at the town of johnson, twelve
miles east of Kanab, and this is all watered
from springs; the stream being dry during
the summer season, except when it rains
when it is n rushing torrent which is also
the case in the spring for two or three
months.
l1-N ,-.,T e.