The weekly tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1891-1894, 1891-09-05
GARDEN SPOT OF MONTANA.
Thus Will Sun River Valley Be
When the Great Canals
Are Finished.
The Mammoth Enterprise of the Sun
River Water Power and
Canal Co.

When Col. f. S. Nettleton was in the
city overlooking the ground and gauging
its possibilities for a~rtesion wells he re-
marked to "a TRIBUNE reporter that he
could not see what people here wanted
with aItesian wells, when they had a
river to draw from. "The river" he
said, "ncver fails. Artcsian wells do"
The Sun River Water Power ~ Canal
company have been impressed with a
similar idea of the rivers Importance.
Two years ago /. S. Corson noticed
what a vast advantage it would be to
eating ditch running down the valley,
a line was run at that time but the ar
engagements fell through. Recently the
matter has been revived, its original
promoter, ]. S. Corson, being again a
prime mover in the enterprise. The Sun
River Water Power a. Canal company
has been incorporated, its incorporators
being Il. f. Collins, l. s.. Corson, J. X.
Clark & CO., +. G. Park and M. S.
Parker.
The plans and specifications of the
canal, or rather of the two canals, are
o finished and at the Office of the chief
engineer. NJ. S. Parker. The canals
begin at a point on Sun river known as
Priests crossing and located about
twelve miles from the city. Here a large
dam is to be built. this being situated
just at the foot of the rapids which are
found at that point. The dam will be
44S feet in length and will have an ele-
walton of twelve feet at the middle. 1t
is to be constructed of timber and on
either side are strong stone abutments.
In the gate chambers will be placed two
Victor turbine water-wheels, each of
which have l25 horse power and each
operating two duplex water-pumpso of the
largest size.
The canals are two IN number. one on
the north and one on the south side of
the river. The canal on the south side
is supplied from a large reservoir. To
this the water is conveyed by an inflow
ing ditch whose pipes discharge into a
large excavation and thus in no way are
the walls of the ditch torn. The south
Sl'c Culldl IT w NC tlSIl lttt vi III Dol-
tom and sixteen on top. In length it is
about thirteen miles and it will have IA
capacity of 1.40O inches. The capacity
of the reservoir is 100000 gallons.
The canal strikes the Missouri near the
stone quarry.
The north side canal receives it's sup
ply directly from the river. Across the
bottom it measures ten feet and is nine
teen across the top. 1t extends a dis
lance of about twelve miles and has a
capacity of 900 inches. 1t empties into
the Missouri about three and a Lalf
miles from the mouth of Sun river.
All the locating and cross-sectiOn work
has been completed and a very careful
line run by Engineer Day. There are
several good-sized cuts and fills. In one
place, crossing a ~coulee, a flume is to be
placed LOGO feet long, 10 feet high at its
highest point. and having an average
height of T. feet. The company expects
to have both canals completed before the
opening of the irrigating season of 1892.
TO do this will require an expenditure of
at least $4,000 and will employ not less
than 300 men.
Water is to be furnished at - per inch
for the season, and already one-half he
owners of adjoining ranches have con
tracted for water. The right of way
from start to finish has been donated.
BY these canals irrigation is furnished
for $1,000 acres of land, lying mainly in
Sun river valley. OF this amount 1,5OO
acres are university and one section
school lands. The canals skirt along the
benches and will overflow all the low
lands.
The ground thus made irrigable is the
.,loc+ ,-I .,,,t co,t,In -, thn ,%,tn T.,
seasons such as the present it's produc-
ton has been unsurpassed. In dry sea
sons crops have naturally been a rather
disastrous investment. The labor which
this company has set itself to perform
will guarantee to the dwellers of the val
ley that no longer need they hesitate
each year to till the earth, fear
ing that rain failing the sun shall burn
and dry all life out from carefully cult
! waited fields. Henceforth until the
mountain SHOWS shall cease to melt and
Sun river dries up a bountifrl return
will follow the sowing of seed.
THE resultant benefit of all this to
the city of Great Falls is incalculable.
1t means that each year the Sun river
valley shall blossom and bloom like "A
veritable garden. Yearly its denizens
shall bring to the Cataract city wagons
overfiowing with golden grain. Their
own Golfers shall grow exceeding corpu-
lent. the tccming thousands, who shall
dwell within the city's borders shall be
fed thereby and the eastern investor as
he drives through the valley and sees its
richness. its resources, its marvellous de-
velopment and yet more marvellous pros
poets, shall lift up his hands and eX-
claim, at is good! Verify! Wonderful is
Great Falls and all that near her isl
Montana Wool in Boston.
Several eastern dealers bought quite
largely in Montana, as well as picked up