The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1890-05-13
IRRIGATION IN MONTANA.
Interesting Information Cleaned
from the Majority Report Made
to Congress.
Meetings Held at Glendive, Bill
ings, Miles City, Bozeman
and Helena.
,yontana Vast Empire--Arid and Ara
BILE Lands-The Yellowstone, Calla-
tin and Bitter Root Valleys.

tin and Bitter Root Valleys.
WASHINGTON, May 12.-tSpecial.]- Tine
,,,,ior;+v report of the committee on lrrl-
gation. which has recently been prepared,
contains some very interesting information
of the northwest. The committee reviews
the entire trip and testimony taken, ana
upon this testimony formulates its report.
OF the inquiry in Montana they say:
1.-THE progress of the inquiry through
Montana was marked by the same interest
as was seen in the Dakotas, though 1t
easily intensified as the sections practlclng
irrigation were reached. At Glendlve the
hoard of trade met your committee. The
witnesses here were selected by them as
commemorative men. At Billings the town
and county officials met us, and very
interesting session was held. Miles City,
county seat of Custer, and near to the
United States post Of Fort keogh, was the
scene of the most important session OF the
Yellowstone Valley section. Army ofncers'
federal officials, county and town officers
met the committee at the depot, escortlng
II to the board of trade rooms. An exhibit
of irrigation-grown grain and grasses was
made, a map and official report of the
county filed with the committee, and
other valuable testimony was taken, as
will be seen by tbs printed evidence.
I3ozeman, center of large and we'll cultl-
waited area, was reached after bllnnRs.
After ride through the valley, examining
the irrigated farms, the committee ne ,ar
session in the town. The witnesses were
Ill practical men. .
"tThe next and most important session in
Montana was held at Helena. The commit
tSe was received by the territorial and city
officials, as we'll as by the constitutional
Convention then in session. The testimony
taken here includes careful report of the
state, prepared by Colonel De Lacey, civil
engineer. for the Montana Society of civil
Engineers. The late surveyor general. Mr..
Greene. WAS a valuable witness. Among
others before the committee were the Hons;
Wilbur F. Sanders, Martin Maginnis and
w. A. Burieigh, Judge Hiram Knowles,
Mining Inspector G. g: Swallow and Clvil
Enoineer William F. Wheeler. The testl-
mony given will repay critical examination.
Following the Helena session, after some
examination Of the region, the committee lt'es
70 the testimony Of Mr.. H. M. Wilson, di-
vision civil engineer United States lrriga-
tion Survey, as illustrating intelligently the
character Of it's work. Missoula, the chlef
town of Bitter Root valley, noted as the
fruit section of Montana, was the seat OF
an interesting session. at wmcn county u
officers, surveyors and farmrs testified
The findings of the committee, so lar as
Montana is concerned, is given IN the FOL
lowing exhaustive resume:
"The new state of Montana, with its 3d.,
$4,000 acres of territory, is trayersed from
east to west by the line of the Northern IA
cific road. enabling the committee to care
fully examine the most important tlllubi
vnlley--that of the Yellowstone-in tn
state: also to have the opportunity OF IN
specting the capacity of the famous Bite
loot valley in the extreme northwest sec
zion. for the raising of fine fruits, and a
ozeman. in the Gallatin valley, to see thu
tiTects of irrigation on quite an EXTENDED
scale, Montana is not only one OF the
three largest states-the Others being texas
and California-but it is without question
the best watered one west of the one hun
dredth meridian. 1t is heavily tlmberec
also: it's pastoral area is great, and accord
ing to the estimate Of Statistician Dodge
of the department of agriculture, Its till
able area is not less than 32.9 per cent, o
close to one-third of the total.
''The river courses that drain the centra
basin of this land find their beginnings il
the sources of the upper Missouri, with it
great tributaries of the Yellowstone, Gala
tin, Jefferson, Madison and score more o
important streams that all head in and re
ceive their primal supply from the precipl
tation and drainage of the Upper Rock
Mountain ranges. The valleys are usual
narrow and long. The Yellowstone is a
example, presenting rs it does tillabl
valley or bottom area of about 400 miles i
length, with an average width of not to ex
coed three miles; in all about 10000 acre.
1.-THE Yellowstone basin from a reclaimf
BILE area in the lower valley of 100000 acre
will rise rapidly under system OF scientif
engineering to an agricultural cult capacity 6
utary valleys found there, many of whic
are quite large, will furnish an additions
100000 acres to the area of reclamation
This is illustrated in report made by Il
authorities of Custer county, within whie
ley is located. That report gives the vale
land area at 1854 600 acres, and for fiftet
other tributary valleys within the count
including the Tongue, Powder Rosebr
and Otter, it gives their valley areas at 80
GOO more acres.
"The volume of water to be supplied frc
the Yellowstone alone is estimated by t
same authority for use in the areas und
consideration at SOC, 600 miners inches 1
second, flowing under a 6-foot pressu
The testimony warrants the statement tt
the Yellowstone alone can furnish for If
CATION purposes some 100000 mine
inches. With proper storage this may
greatly increased, perhaps doubled.
statistics place the total area actual
cultivated last year at less than 4OO.(
acres. The present year will see abo
100000 acres under cultivation by irrigatio
and as much more under ditch that
within access to water supply thereby.
cultivation of the soil is possible in Mo
tana without irrigation. Without ann
storage of water the reclaimable area "
be limited one; with ample storage it "
rise, according to different witnesses a
reports, from 20, OOO, 900 to 3O,OOo,0 900 acr
Tie witnesses unite in declaring that wi
irrigation an acre of ground in Monta
will exceed in productive value from tn
to five acres in the humid or rainfall stat
1.-THE statistics presented as to irrigati
bitches were very imperfect. But from 81
as were presented it appears that there "
in 1869 Of mining bitches 2S711a miles, G.
structed at cost of $s06,5OO. The pres
extent, including these, as many have b.
used for irrigation purposes also, is now
timated at 600 miles.
"A large majority of witnesses conc
that under proper system of irrigati
storage, and distribution land now wo
but little beyond the government price
81 25 will rise raDidly 10 500 ard $40