, 1891-05-08
STATE IRRIGATION.
The Question Considered With Ref
erence to Wyoming.
-.
Valuable Field Presented For In
Vestment Here.
Facts About Some of the Leading
Irrigation Work.
Agriculture in wyoming.
Irrigation Age, Denver.l

latest star on the flag of the Union stands
for Wyoming. 1t is a state of vast pro-
portions terntorially. 1t possesses rich.
varied and unmeasured mineral resources.
Famous for its great cattle industry, its
agricultural possibilities have always been.
and are today, a sealed book to the coun-
Try at large. And yet, for peculiar rea.
sons, 1t holds out greater promise to the
settler, the investor and the h-builder
that trinity Of forces hat must develop
together the latent possibilities OF the arid
region-than almost any other state of the
far West. 1t deserves and will repay the
careful study Of the e%nterDrising men who
are looking to the development of the
western empire for the opportunity of
profit.
WYOMING Is A FIELD FOR ENTERPRISE.
Considered broadly, it may be said that
the state of Wyoming offers an almost
unique field for enterprise. 1t has waited
for many years for some extraordinary
circumstance to give an impulse to its de-
velopment aud set into instant life the
immense possibilities of growth with
which nature endowed it. This circum-
stance has come at last with statehood,
and Wyoming stands at the Threshold
of an era of marvellous Development.
Consider for a moment its situation.
Wyoming is located in the path of trans
continental traffic, a little west of
the center OF the continent. Nebraska
on the east has a population of 1885,
900, Colorado on the south nearly 500, 900,
Utah On the west over 200, 900. Wyom-
has but 10000. A single great railway
skirts its southern boundary. The chief
justice journeys 300 miles in a stage coach
over the principal mountains to hold court
in its northern counties. But one city has
reached a population of over 10, 900. This
is the present stage of progress in a state
which has every endowment which nature
can confer, or a progressive constitution
and liberal laws guarantee. Various
causes have contributed to keep the state
at this stage, but now that the day of
swift progress has dawned upon Wyoming
1t must be the gamer from these facts.
! The opportunity for settlement, for In
vestment, for the building of cities, the
reclamation of lands and the development
of mines stands wide open to the brain,
Drawn and capital OF the world. And tue
new impulse has begun to be strongly felt
along every avenue. Cheyenne, the beau
tiful city, has scored a wonderful growth
in the past twelve months and
1 Tho L. -
almost every other town in the state. Dis
coveries at Gold Hill have attracted an
army OF prospectors. and the coal output
in various localities has been pushed to
the limit of the utmnst capacity of the
railroads to handle. The promoters of ir-
rlgation enterprises are displaying an
amount of interest in the agricultural flu
ture OF the state that already amounts to
sharp rivalry in some localities. These
are the present aspects which Wyoming
presents to the world. They are so i'm
portant and attractive that they should
command the attention OF every friend
Of the West and especially every active
spirit who looks to this new empire as the
field of his future enterprise.
AGRICULTURAL PECULIARITIEs.
The agricultural conditions of Wyoming
differ from those of most other states in
the arid region. The average ram fall OF the
agricultural partitions of the state is twelve
inches. Elwood Mead. the very compe-
tent state engineer, estimates that it is
necessary to give crops an additional two
feet of water to assure success. The
progress of irrigation. while it will larg-
ely increase the cultivable area, will never
deprive the state of its pre-eminence as
grazing country. When the fetal avail
able water supply has been utilized, there
will still remain a vast area of cattle
ranges. And the physical formation of
the land is such as to make it generally
POSSIBLE for farmers to Craze their cattle
on free public lands Immediately adjacent
to their irrigated farms.
This is the popularity of Wyoming
its deep aud narrow valleys, capable of
cheap irrigation by means OF small d.
rect bitches, which enable farmers to Sc
cure and control their water supply, quite
independent OF their neighbors. 1t is
still an unsettled problem how far this
form of irrigation is an advantage. 1t
has Enabled the state to bring two million
acres speedily and cheaply under water,
but this has been done at the ex-
pense of leaving the valuable table lands
u~nproductive and fit only for cattle ranges.
If 1t shall be deemed wise to leave these
manifold private bitches u~ndisturbed.
there will still remain a broad field for
great public systems and storage reservoirs
to reclaim the 5000, 900 acres of uuculti-
waited land for which there is ample water
supply, The growth Of Wyoming is GER
tain to provide an ample home market for
the products of these new farms, as the
state nov annually imports more than
$500. 900 worth Of outside products to
feed its cities and mines.
H WATER SUPPLY.
Wyoming takes its water supply at Its
fountain head-the mountains which
cross its territory from north to south. Its
supply is therefore most abundant and
sure. While the valleys are deep and