The Delta independent., 1890-07-01
The Black Canon Ditch.

BY the time this issue of the INDEPENDENT
is before our readers the ditch from the Black
Canon OF the Gunnison will be completed
and that matchless tract of land extending
from the Upper. Ferry to town will be in con.
dition 70 develop into the finest valley III
the west. The accomplishment of this has
been 'w,rk af patient perseverance. The
land In tAis portion of the county was among
the EARLIEST taken up aud, with the exception
Of . sAsall portion under the Bona Eide ditch,
has fbeen without water facilities until now.
TlAess on the dry ranches have worked and
l&eld ON to their lands with Godlike faith,
,syea If some of the child-like simplicity was
was lacking, striving to effect some concerted
novement whereby ditch might be built
There has been no lack of effort in the past
surveys estimates and promiscuous workings
here and there along the proposed routes rep
resent large amount of money and labor
enough, If systematically applied. to have
made the present ditch comparatively small
work. To Messrs. Walker, Landreth, Meyer,
0riggs aud few others the inception of the
present enterprise is to be very largely credit
ed. EARLY in the spring they lind completed
plans by which ditch was to be built large
enough to supply their own lands; this, how
sver, was far from satisfactory to the general
interests aud arrangements were finally made
whereby Matt Arch of Gunnison, athorough.
~ practical ditch builder Of large experience,
was given the contract to build that portion
Of the ditch from its head to the mouth Of the
canon, the only real difficult part.
The lower section skirting the southern
line Of the valley, was built by the ranchmen
interested.
The head Of the ditch is located about
eleven miles east and one mile north OF
Delta and for three and one half miles
winds its way along the rocky bluffs and pre-
cipitious walls of the canon, in places cut in
tllp solii rock and in one continuous line,
over three thousand feet of fume. The grade
through the canon is three feet per mile and
the ditch has width of eight feet oil the bot
tom, tAirtesn feet ON top and safe carrying
depth Of two and one half feet. From the
canon downward the size remains the same
for about three miles. gradually decreasing
in size q the water il taken out for use ON
the ranches. Such ditch we'll built, with
the element Of friction reduced to a minimum
will carry sufficient water to efiectually irri.
gate two thousand five hundred acres. The
source Of supply is ample, and as matter of
fast Il would take fifty such bitches to carry
the waters Of the Guunison at its lowest stage.
Over ave thousand acres are under the line
Of this ditch, some Of which are-already irri-
gated from other ditshes. To those that have
waited 70 patiently aud worked SO energetic.
ally for the completion of this work we be-
upsak large Measure Of suscess. The outlay
has bsea large but the increase in the valse
- property Affected more than balances the
account. Lands. that sig months ago. were
bominally worth ten dollars an acre are now
notuaiiy worth 6fty. With the subdivision
n the lands that will naturally follow from
nodsrn methods Of practice there will be af.
torded lands fer an agricultural population
sf not les than SIX hundred people. With a
! litsas time and work the Gunnis.n valley
nsy now become the best portion of the
county. is people have their fortune in their
grasp. just zee that the grasp does not fail.