Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1890-10-19
SACRAMENTO RIVER LANDS.
PR0sPEcrIvELy TIES EosT VALUABLE
IN THE STATE.
Some suggestions Regarding Their Com
plete Engineer Bosch
ke's Proposed Relief Canals.


the bottom lands along the Sacramento
river, between this city and Suisun Bay,
without being impressed with their greet
prospective value. In selected localities
this value is not prospective, but actually
exists. On the east side of the riyer-and
for much of the way on both sides-there
is now one continuous orchard along the
narrow strip of front land" from Freepcrt
to Walnut Grove, all around Grand Islsrd,
and along the front lands on all theislat ds
in the lower Sacramento.
OF these Grand Island Jared the best last
winter. Although the test was a very
severe one, the levees held together, and
kept back the great volume of water that
flooded ether islands in that vicinity, and
| destroyed miles upon miles of orchards.
The water is now practically of Grand
Island There is one lake near the lower
end, which will soon be drained by pump
ing, and then the island will he, for the
first time in many years, prepared for cul-
! tivstion from one end 10 the other. The
levees have been increased in width and
hight the past summer, and the residents
ictl Qullc safe rum litNIuhllOu. uG
front lands around Grand Island-and for
that matter on all the islands-are very
valuable for fruit-growing. A considerable
portion is also devoted to the growing of
beans, I;ish and sweet potatoes, etc large
crops of which are raised. Grand Island,
and portions of other islands, are now vir-
tually reclaimed and if the property
owners will increase the size of their levees
each year. so as to remove all danger of
flooding, their land will become very vau-
able, as il is capable of producing several
crops each year.
These lands even now command good
figure but there are olher swamp and over
flowed sections, both below and above Sac
ramento, geographically speaking where
no systematic attempt at reclamation hiss
yet been made. The San Francisco Bmletia,
in q recent article on the reclamation OF
these tule basins said:
Some time or other the matter of re-
claiming the swamp lands Of the Sacra-
mento valley will form subject for serious
consideration. 1t is calculated that on the
two sides of the Sacramento river the marsh
and tule lands embrace a combined area Of
not less than 1000 acres. Much of this
swamp property is hardly worth 81 per
acre, while there is said to be but little of it
that is appraised as high as So per acre
Tracts of thousands of acres can be bought
at medium figure. II the overflow of
water could be permanently checked, il
would not be great while before this large
area, which is now comparatively worth
less, would enhance largely in value and
possibly become marketable at 500 an
acre, and even more.
How to bring about the Transformation
and make land out of water is not a new
question Some eighteen years ago at least
one leves district was organized, under a
general bill of the Legislature, in which, if
memory be not at fault, W. II. Parks was
an energetic promoter. Bonds to the ex-
tent of 5000, 900 were issued for described
district, and a levee was built around the
area, but disastrously foods subsequently
washed all Improvements away and left the
district as badly off as ever. For two years
the property embraced in this 'levee dis
trict' paid interest on the bonds. Since
then, it is asserted, each succeeding Board
of Supervisors declined or neglected to levy
tax to meet such Interest, and the conse-
quence is that there is default in interest
for sixteen years. About all these bonds
are said to be in possession of resident of
Cincinnati, who is patiently awaiting the
maturity of the bonds before taking legal
measures to compel payment OF both prin-
cipsl and interest.
Congress at recent session appropri-
ated certain moneys for the improvement
of navigable high ways, and it was hoped
that some of It would be expended in deep
ening the channels of the Sacram ento
river and its tributaries thus helping in
the reclamation of marsh territory. Gov
ernor Waterman is understood to have put
in plea in The premises with the authori-
ties at Washington, which resulted in the
Government doing some little dredging
only.
Perhaps the only person who has taken
intelligent action in this matter is A.
Boschke, who some time ago drew a map
of the Sacramento Valley, and outlined
what he termed relief canals, by means of
which he insists the disastrous flooding of
the Sacramento Valley can be prevented
and the swamp and overlooked lands can
be reclaimed. His plan is to build canal
on the east side of the valley from Calls
Bend, above Butte City. down to Rio Vista
and Sherman Island, where the San
Joaquin river is tapped. On the west side
his proposed canal starts from Butte
Slough, south of Colusa, down to Fremont,
near Knights Landing at the junction of
the Feather river with the Sacramento
river. There is also another canal starting
from Marysville. which city lies below the
bed of the Feather river, and is therefore
always in danger of possible overflow.
Now, it might perhaps be judicious for
men of means to investigate the affair, with
view to organizing syndicate to buy up
this marsh territory and afterward take
steps to reclaim it and make it productive.
1t would necessitate the outlay of large
sum of money, but that would be easily
obtainable if responsible parties of capital
were to indorse the project by liberal con-
tribution to stock, and give assurance that
personal supervision w)u!d be closely ex-