The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1892-05-05
AROUND FERTILE YAKIMA
In Interesting Report Made to the SpO-
kane Chamber Of Commerce.
Yakima DesIgnated As q YsFItabI'
Harden spOt-what Has Al.
ready Been Accomplished,
and what % Expect.

AAGANUn NAb uCbaAtGA w AhNNoNikANO
Yakima country with 4 view to throwing
light on the transportation problem. H.
stayed here 4 number Of days, and made
Q visit to various sections Of the country.
from which he reported as follows:
GSntlemen Of the Chamber Of COR'msrce:
On the 18th and 10Th Of the presen'
month had the pleasure Of observing to
some extent the work being done in the
reclamation Of arid lands In the vicinit!
Of North Yakima, In this state; and on
the 10th l made visit to where opera
tons Of 4 similar character are beinG
prosecuted near Pasco.
When we consider the fact that the arid
region Of this state embraces all Of Yak.
ina county, nearly oil Of Kittitas, much
Of Klickitat, all Of franklin, much
Walla Walla, much Of Adams, all oil
okanoRan and very large part Of Doug
las, we realize that the problem Of irriga'
ton Is one Of the greatest interest to spn
kane as well as to the people Of the stat
generally.
These counties lie along or near the Co
lumbia river and embrace about on
square miles Of territory, or l6,0O0.OOC
acres. I estimate that 5000, 600 acres
1t can be made productive by the use o.
water. Irrigated lands support q mucl
denser population than non-irrigated
lands. 1t 10 usual to estimate popula-
ton Of 100 to every square mile Of irri.
gated country, exclusive Of cities, town
and villages. This would mean an ulti.
mate population Of $4,000 OH the $780,.
OOO acres Of irrigable lands In Washing
ton, and It might be safely estimated that
another $4,000 would live in the cities.
towns and villages Of the same district,
making together population Of 100000
with q percentage Of people engaged in
pursuits belonging to the mountainous
and timber districts.
Yakima county Is the largest county Of
the state except Okanogon. 1t has 100
square miles Of territory, and is therefore
larger than the entire state Of COnnecti-
cut. The Yakima Indian reservation alb
serbs 0O,O0O acres Of its territory, but
leaving this out Of the count altogether,
there are left l,OOO,OOO acres Of iertiIs
land in the county that can be made
enormously productive by the apPlica'
ton Of water. The reservation must in
the end be thrown open TO settlement,
and when this Is done 35O,OO0 acres Of
the most fertile agricultural land will be
made available. The central and radiat.
ing point Of this splendid domain is thu
city Of North Yakima. The geological
formation as seen from an elevated posi-
ton near this place is remarkable. Here
are grouped eight distinct valleys Of vary.
ing dimensions, but all contain many
thousands Of acres Of level or gently.
rolling lands, surrounded by hills that
run in different directions like so man!
huge walls or entertainments. The form
alton Is volcanic. The hills are Of ba,
saltic rock covered with stunted growth
Of bunch grass, while the valleys are COW
cred with sage brush, the soil varying IN
depth from few inches to forty feet, and
being composed Of volcanic ash.
Some Of these valleys are nearly l0I
miles long. The water for the irrigation
Of the lands comes from the Yakima riv-
or and its numerous tributaries, all Of
which flow down from the snowclad
ranges Of the Cascades, and from artesian
wells. The total length Of the main
bitches now In operation is $50 miles. In
many instances these bitches are but thu
beginning Of elaborate systems yet to be
completed. The lower Sunnyside canal,
now thirty miles long, is to be extended
thirty miles further. It runs down the
bench lands on the north side Of the Yak.
ina river. It Is Northern Pacific enter.
prise, Mr.. Paul Schulse, Of Tacoma, hav.
ing been the moving spirit in the orEani
Sation and prosecution Of II. This is the
largest canal Of the country, being thirty
feet wide on the bottom, fIfty-eight feet
wide on the top and eight feet deep. Mr.
Schulze and his associates have surveyed
Q number Of other canals, which are to
be Of similar character. The system,
when completed, will include the lower
Sunnyside canal, sixty miles long; the
upper Sunnyside canal, ninety miles long !;
. branch from the last named canal,
thirty miles long; lower reservation
canal, forty-6ve miles long, and the upper
reservation canal, forty miles long, max
ing total length Of 265 miles, the entire
system retaining $4,000 acres Of land.
The system will cost more than q ,0OO,-
900. It IL one Of the largest irrigation
projects in the world, and reflects great
credit on Mr.. schulze and bis associates.
Fortunately there Is water In abund-
ance. The Yakima, In the district where
most Of the water is taken out, is almost
as large as the Spokane river, but in or
der to make the water supply absolutely
secure, the Northern Pacific people have
prepared 10 raise the water level twenty
feet In the four lakes In the Cascades
from which the several streams that feed
the Yakima draw their supply. But sew
eral large bodies Of land, notably in the
Mckee valley. which runs OF 10 the cas-
and northeast from North Yakima to-
ward the Columbia river, are above the
ditch level; that Is, above the line to
which water can Be taken by bitches,
and here arc where the experiments are